diff --git a/brainpy/_src/tools/functions.py b/brainpy/_src/tools/functions.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cbc710dba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/brainpy/_src/tools/functions.py
@@ -0,0 +1,192 @@
+import inspect
+from functools import partial
+from operator import attrgetter
+from types import MethodType
+
+__all__ = [
+  'compose', 'pipe'
+]
+
+
+def identity(x):
+  """ Identity function. Return x
+
+  >>> identity(3)
+  3
+  """
+  return x
+
+
+def instanceproperty(fget=None, fset=None, fdel=None, doc=None, classval=None):
+  """ Like @property, but returns ``classval`` when used as a class attribute
+
+  >>> class MyClass(object):
+  ...     '''The class docstring'''
+  ...     @instanceproperty(classval=__doc__)
+  ...     def __doc__(self):
+  ...         return 'An object docstring'
+  ...     @instanceproperty
+  ...     def val(self):
+  ...         return 42
+  ...
+  >>> MyClass.__doc__
+  'The class docstring'
+  >>> MyClass.val is None
+  True
+  >>> obj = MyClass()
+  >>> obj.__doc__
+  'An object docstring'
+  >>> obj.val
+  42
+  """
+  if fget is None:
+    return partial(instanceproperty, fset=fset, fdel=fdel, doc=doc,
+                   classval=classval)
+  return InstanceProperty(fget=fget, fset=fset, fdel=fdel, doc=doc,
+                          classval=classval)
+
+
+class InstanceProperty(property):
+  """ Like @property, but returns ``classval`` when used as a class attribute
+
+  Should not be used directly.  Use ``instanceproperty`` instead.
+  """
+
+  def __init__(self, fget=None, fset=None, fdel=None, doc=None,
+               classval=None):
+    self.classval = classval
+    property.__init__(self, fget=fget, fset=fset, fdel=fdel, doc=doc)
+
+  def __get__(self, obj, type=None):
+    if obj is None:
+      return self.classval
+    return property.__get__(self, obj, type)
+
+  def __reduce__(self):
+    state = (self.fget, self.fset, self.fdel, self.__doc__, self.classval)
+    return InstanceProperty, state
+
+
+class Compose(object):
+  """ A composition of functions
+
+  See Also:
+      compose
+  """
+  __slots__ = 'first', 'funcs'
+
+  def __init__(self, funcs):
+    funcs = tuple(reversed(funcs))
+    self.first = funcs[0]
+    self.funcs = funcs[1:]
+
+  def __call__(self, *args, **kwargs):
+    ret = self.first(*args, **kwargs)
+    for f in self.funcs:
+      ret = f(ret)
+    return ret
+
+  def __getstate__(self):
+    return self.first, self.funcs
+
+  def __setstate__(self, state):
+    self.first, self.funcs = state
+
+  @instanceproperty(classval=__doc__)
+  def __doc__(self):
+    def composed_doc(*fs):
+      """Generate a docstring for the composition of fs.
+      """
+      if not fs:
+        # Argument name for the docstring.
+        return '*args, **kwargs'
+
+      return '{f}({g})'.format(f=fs[0].__name__, g=composed_doc(*fs[1:]))
+
+    try:
+      return (
+          'lambda *args, **kwargs: ' +
+          composed_doc(*reversed((self.first,) + self.funcs))
+      )
+    except AttributeError:
+      # One of our callables does not have a `__name__`, whatever.
+      return 'A composition of functions'
+
+  @property
+  def __name__(self):
+    try:
+      return '_of_'.join(
+        (f.__name__ for f in reversed((self.first,) + self.funcs))
+      )
+    except AttributeError:
+      return type(self).__name__
+
+  def __repr__(self):
+    return '{.__class__.__name__}{!r}'.format(
+      self, tuple(reversed((self.first,) + self.funcs)))
+
+  def __eq__(self, other):
+    if isinstance(other, Compose):
+      return other.first == self.first and other.funcs == self.funcs
+    return NotImplemented
+
+  def __ne__(self, other):
+    equality = self.__eq__(other)
+    return NotImplemented if equality is NotImplemented else not equality
+
+  def __hash__(self):
+    return hash(self.first) ^ hash(self.funcs)
+
+  # Mimic the descriptor behavior of python functions.
+  # i.e. let Compose be called as a method when bound to a class.
+  # adapted from
+  # docs.python.org/3/howto/descriptor.html#functions-and-methods
+  def __get__(self, obj, objtype=None):
+    return self if obj is None else MethodType(self, obj)
+
+  # introspection with Signature is only possible from py3.3+
+  @instanceproperty
+  def __signature__(self):
+    base = inspect.signature(self.first)
+    last = inspect.signature(self.funcs[-1])
+    return base.replace(return_annotation=last.return_annotation)
+
+  __wrapped__ = instanceproperty(attrgetter('first'))
+
+
+def compose(*funcs):
+  """ Compose functions to operate in series.
+
+  Returns a function that applies other functions in sequence.
+
+  Functions are applied from right to left so that
+  ``compose(f, g, h)(x, y)`` is the same as ``f(g(h(x, y)))``.
+
+  If no arguments are provided, the identity function (f(x) = x) is returned.
+
+  >>> inc = lambda i: i + 1
+  >>> compose(str, inc)(3)
+  '4'
+  """
+  if not funcs:
+    return identity
+  if len(funcs) == 1:
+    return funcs[0]
+  else:
+    return Compose(funcs)
+
+
+def pipe(*funcs):
+  """ Pipe a value through a sequence of functions
+
+  I.e. ``pipe(f, g, h)(data)`` is equivalent to ``h(g(f(data)))``
+
+  We think of the value as progressing through a pipe of several
+  transformations, much like pipes in UNIX
+
+
+  >>> double = lambda i: 2 * i
+  >>> pipe(double, str)(3)
+  '6'
+  """
+  return compose(*reversed(funcs))
diff --git a/brainpy/_src/tools/tests/test_functions.py b/brainpy/_src/tools/tests/test_functions.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c285e561a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/brainpy/_src/tools/tests/test_functions.py
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+
+import unittest
+
+import brainpy as bp
+import brainpy.math as bm
+
+
+class TestFunction(unittest.TestCase):
+  def test_compose(self):
+    f = lambda a: a + 1
+    g = lambda a: a * 10
+    fun1 = bp.tools.compose(f, g)
+    fun2 = bp.tools.pipe(g, f)
+
+    arr = bm.random.randn(10)
+    r1 = fun1(arr)
+    r2 = fun2(arr)
+    groundtruth = f(g(arr))
+    self.assertTrue(bm.allclose(r1, r2))
+    self.assertTrue(bm.allclose(r1, groundtruth))
+    bm.clear_buffer_memory()
+
+
+
diff --git a/brainpy/tools.py b/brainpy/tools.py
index 0f3a4c0ef..233269dc5 100644
--- a/brainpy/tools.py
+++ b/brainpy/tools.py
@@ -45,4 +45,9 @@
 )
 
 
+from brainpy._src.tools.functions import (
+  compose as compose,
+  pipe as pipe,
+)
+
 
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index d7fd45e38..0bf2d3a42 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 
 # version
 here = os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(__file__))
-with open(os.path.join(here, 'brainpy', '__init__.py'), 'r') as f:
+with open(os.path.join(here, 'brainpy', 'test_functions.py'), 'r') as f:
   init_py = f.read()
 version = re.search('__version__ = "(.*)"', init_py).groups()[0]
 if len(sys.argv) > 2 and sys.argv[2] == '--python-tag=py3':