【中国历史人物】LuBan(circa507-444BC)鲁班

Ancient Chinese Who Left Their Marks on History

英文书名：《中国历史人物》

Lu Ban–Legendary Master Carpenter

篇　　目： 鲁班—传奇的木匠祖师爷

Written by Zhang Ciyun

作　　者：  张慈贇

Shanghai Translation Publishing House

出 版 社 ：上海译文出版社

出版年份：2020年5月

I  S  B N：978-7-5327-8313-7

Lu Ban–Legendary Master Carpenter

 鲁班—传奇的木匠祖师爷

文章内容由译文出版社授权，炎博文化翻译

Lu Ban, also known as Gongshu Ban, was born into a family that had been practicing carpentry for several generations in the State of Lu around the time when the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) was to be replaced by the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).

春秋（公元前770年—公元前476年）与战国（公元前475年—公元前221年）之际，鲁班（又名“公输般”），降生在鲁国的一个木匠世家中。

When he was young, Lu joined his family members in many construction projects around the state and he was very quick in learning the family trade.

鲁班从小就跟着家人参与了鲁国很多工程建设，在学习和继承家业方面突飞猛进。

He was also very bright and innovative. He was extremely keen on inventing new tools to either better the quality of woodworks or improve the efficiency of the job.

兼具聪慧与创新精神的他极度热衷发明新型工具，用来提升产品的质量，或是改进工作的效率。

For instance, carpenters at that time didn't have saws. So they had to use axes to cut and chip the wood into the shapes they wanted.

比如说，当时的木匠没有锯子，他们只有靠斧头来把木料削切成想要的造型。

Of course, that was laborious and the products often turned out to be coarse.

毋庸置疑，这样既费力，成品又显得粗糙。

One day, Lu cut his finger on a leaf.

一天，一片树叶割伤了鲁班的手指。

He took a close look at the leaf, wondering how it could be so sharp and easily cut through skin.

他仔细观察那片叶子，想要弄明白到底是什么如此锋利，能把皮肤轻易划破。

When he saw the leaf had a serrated edge, it dawned on him that a toothed edge could make cutting easier and more effective.

当布满锯齿的叶子边缘映入眼帘的那一刻，鲁班恍然大悟—锯齿状的边缘可以使切割更容易，更高效。

In the following days, Lu produced the first saw in history.

随后的几天，鲁班照此原理做出了史上第一把锯子。

He also invented many other carpentry tools and weapons.

除此之外，鲁班还发明了许多其它木匠工具，以及兵器。

Around 450 BC, Lu moved to the State of Chu in today's Yangtze River Delta area.

公元前450年左右，鲁班迁居至楚国，也就是今天的长江三角洲地区。

To help the state battle its enemies, he invented various weapons, such as grappling hooks and rams for fighting on boats and the "cloud ladder" for attacking walled towns.

他发明了各种兵器来帮助国家对抗外敌。在水战方面，有进攻时用于抓住敌人船只的工具“钩”和防守时阻挡敌船靠近的“拒”；在围城战中则出现了可伸缩的“云梯”来进攻敌城墙。

云梯

（图片来源于网络）

Lu also made ancient wooden robots, namely, wooden horse carriages and coachmen that could help transport heavy military supplies along rough and rugged paths.

鲁班还发明了木马和车夫组成的古代木制机器人，可以在崎岖泥泞的路上，为军队运输大件物资与后勤给养。

He also helped build many bridges and palaces around the state, as well as many famous ancient bridges in other parts of the country.

鲁班不但帮助楚国兴建了很多宫殿与桥梁，还在国内其他地方建了不少著名的古桥。

Because of his exceptional skills and numerous inventions, Lu was remembered by successive generations as the Father of Carpentry in Chinese history.

凭借独门绝技与众多的发明，后世木匠们将鲁班奉为行业祖师、中国历史上的“木匠之父”。

Some of the master carpenter's techniques and projects are recorded in "The Treatise of Lu Ban," a book of folk carpentry which is still read today.

在一本叫做《鲁班书》的著作内记录着高阶木工技术与制作秘笈，至今仍被人们所拜读。

In addition, Chinese folk carpenters still celebrate the legendary master's birthday on the 13th day of the sixth month of each lunar year.

不仅如此，在每年的农历六月十三，各地工匠都会举行纪念祖师鲁班诞辰的活动。

As a legend, Lu later appeared in many folk stories, dramas and even idioms in China.

他已然成为一个传奇，出现在之后的中国民间故事、戏剧甚至是成语典故中。

One of the best-known Chinese idiom involving this master carpenter is "班门弄斧" (bān mén nòng fǔ), which translates literally "showing one's proficiency with the axe in front of Lu Ban."

其中，最为人所乐道的是“班门弄斧”，这个词的字面意思是“在鲁班跟前卖弄斧子”。

Today, the phrase is often cited to ridicule anyone who displays his slight skill before an expert or as an English speaker would say "teaching one's grandma to suck eggs."

如今，这句成语常常被用来讽刺在大师行家面前摆花架子的三脚猫们，等同于英语语境下的“teaching one's grandma to suck eggs” 。

However, this phrase may also be used to express one's modesty when demonstrating a skill or presenting a product in front of his or her teachers or colleagues.

反之，若向老师或同行们展示技艺时自称“班门弄斧”，则是一种谦虚的表达。

如皋著名景区水绘园风景区鲁班祠

（图片来源于网络）