<P> Nevertheless , the Chinese historical text of the Sanguozhi ( Records of the Three Kingdoms ) , compiled by the ancient historian Chen Shou ( 233 -- 297 AD ) , credits the invention of the wheelbarrow to Prime Minister Zhuge Liang ( 181 -- 234 AD ) of Shu Han from 197 -- 234 . It was written that in 231 AD , Zhuge Liang developed the vehicle of the wooden ox and used it as a transport for military supplies in a campaign against Cao Wei . Further annotations of the text by Pei Songzhi ( 430 AD ) described the design in detail as a large single central wheel and axle around which a wooden frame was constructed in representation of an ox . Writing later in the 11th century , the Song Dynasty ( 960 -- 1279 ) scholar Gao Cheng wrote that the small wheelbarrow of his day , with shafts pointing forward ( so that it was pulled ) , was the direct descendent of Zhuge Liang 's wooden ox . Furthermore , he pointed out that the third century ' gliding horse ' wheelbarrow featured the simple difference of the shaft pointing backwards ( so that it was pushed instead ) . </P>
<P> Nevertheless , the Chinese historical text of the Sanguozhi ( Records of the Three Kingdoms ) , compiled by the ancient historian Chen Shou ( 233 -- 297 AD ) , credits the invention of the wheelbarrow to Prime Minister Zhuge Liang ( 181 -- 234 AD ) of Shu Han from 197 -- 234 . It was written that in 231 AD , Zhuge Liang developed the vehicle of the wooden ox and used it as a transport for military supplies in a campaign against Cao Wei . Further annotations of the text by Pei Songzhi ( 430 AD ) described the design in detail as a large single central wheel and axle around which a wooden frame was constructed in representation of an ox . Writing later in the 11th century , the Song Dynasty ( 960 -- 1279 ) scholar Gao Cheng wrote that the small wheelbarrow of his day , with shafts pointing forward ( so that it was pulled ) , was the direct descendent of Zhuge Liang 's wooden ox . Furthermore , he pointed out that the third century ' gliding horse ' wheelbarrow featured the simple difference of the shaft pointing backwards ( so that it was pushed instead ) . </P>
when did the han dynasty invent the wheelbarrow
when did the han dynasty invent the wheelbarrow
231 AD
231 AD