梁 meaning and stroke order
Bridge; beam, rafter; surname
How to write 梁, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 梁
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- roof beam
- beam (structure)
- bridge
- variant of 梁[liang2]
How 梁 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A wooden 木 bridge built 刅 over a river 氵.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 梁
Picture water 氵 on the left, a structure being built 刅 beside it, and wood 木 underneath holding it all up. A wooden 木 beam laid across a river 氵 makes a bridge, so 梁 (liáng) means beam or bridge.
梁 rarely stands alone as a word today. It appears in compounds like 桥梁 (qiáoliáng, bridge) and body words like 鼻梁 (bíliáng, bridge of the nose) and 脊梁 (jǐliáng, spine). Example: 他是国家的栋梁。(Tā shì guójiā de dòngliáng.) He is a pillar of the nation.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 梁 with 粱 (liáng, sorghum), which has the same top but 米 (rice) at the bottom instead of 木. Remember that a beam is made of wood 木, while grain is 米.
Common words with 梁
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
梁 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 梁
Learning 梁 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 梁
How many strokes are in 梁?
梁 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 梁 mean?
梁 (liáng) means bridge; beam, rafter; surname. A common word with it is 桥梁 (qiáoliáng), meaning "bridge (lit. and fig.)".
How do you pronounce 梁?
梁 is pronounced liáng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 梁?
The radical of 梁 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 梁 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 梁?
The traditional form of 梁 is 樑. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 梁 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 梁 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 梁 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 梁 a common Chinese surname?
Yes. 梁 (Liáng) is a fairly common surname, especially in southern China and Hong Kong, where it is often romanized as Leung. A well-known example is the actor 梁朝伟 (Liáng Cháowěi), Tony Leung.
What does 栋梁 mean when describing a person?
Literally 栋梁 (dòngliáng) is the ridgepole and beams that hold up a roof. Figuratively it describes a person who is a pillar or mainstay of a country or organization, and it is a strong compliment.