Lü Dongbin

Lü Dongbin
呂洞賓
Zhang Lu's painting of Lü Dongbin, early 16th century
Traditional Chinese呂洞賓
Simplified Chinese吕洞宾
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLǚ Dòngbīn
Wade–Giles3 Tung4-Pin1
IPA[lỳ ̂ŋ.pín]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationLéuih Duhng Bān
JyutpingLeoi5 Dung6 Ban1

Lü Dongbin is a legendary Chinese scholar and poet who lived during the Tang dynasty whose lifetime supposedly spanned two hundred and twenty years. Elevated to the status of an immortal in the Chinese cultural sphere by Daoists, he is one of the most widely known of the group of deities known as the Eight Immortals. Lü is also a historical figure and mentioned in the official history book History of Song. He is widely considered to be one of the earliest masters of neidan, or internal alchemy. He is also depicted in art dressed as a scholar carrying a sword to dispel evil spirits.