梁

梁 (Kangxi radical 75, 木+7, 11 strokes, cangjie input 水金木 (ECD) or 水戈木 (EID), four-corner 3390₄, composition ⿱⿰氵刅ホ)

• 墚, 樑, 𮌹, 𥛫, 𮃡, 𮇹, 𨄈, 𨎛, 𨫟, 𬪔, 𮭊, 簗

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 528, character 1
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 14825
• Dae Jaweon: page 916, character 18
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1220, character 5
• Unihan data for U+6881
• Unihan data for U+F97A

Historical forms of the character 梁
Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *raŋ) : semantic 水 (“water”) + phonetic 刅 (OC *sʰraŋ) + semantic 木 (“wood”) — a bridge.

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Are the noun senses related to the proper noun senses?”)

梁

1. Alternative form of 樑 (liáng, “bridge; roof beam; ridge”); also the simplified form.
2. (historical) state of Liang
   1. An ancient Chinese state during the Spring and Autumn period
   2. The State of Wei during the Warring States period, after moving its capital to Daliang

      • 孟子見梁惠王。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
        孟子见梁惠王。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

        From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

        Mèngzǐ jiàn Liáng Huì Wáng. [Pinyin]

        Mencius went to see king Hui of Liang.

   3. A kingdom during the Han dynasty
   4. One of two ancient Chinese states during the end of the Sui dynasty
3. (historical) Liang dynasty
   1. Liang, one of the Southern Dynasties
   2. Later Liang of the Five Dynasties
4. a surname

   梁山伯  ―  Liáng Shānbó  ―  Liang Shanbo (in the legend of Butterfly Lovers)

   梁啟超／梁启超  ―  Liáng Qǐchāo  ―  Liang Qichao (Chinese intellectual and politician who lived during the late Qing dynasty and the early Republic of China)

• (state of Wei): 魏 (wèi), 魏國／魏国 (Wèiguó)
• (state): 梁國 (Liángguó)
• (dynasty): 梁朝 (Liángcháo)
• (Southern Liang): 南梁 (Nánliáng), 蕭梁 (Xiāoliáng)
• (Later Liang): 後梁 (Hòuliáng), 朱梁 (Zhūliáng)

Others:

• → Bouyei: Liangz, Liangf
• → English: Liang, Leung, Leong, Neo, Leo
• → Zhuang: Liengz

(“Jinmeiyō” kanji used for names)

• Kan-on: りょう (ryō)^{←りゃう (ryau, historical)}
• Kun: はり (hari, 梁); うつばり (utsubari, 梁); やな (yana, 梁)

From Old Japanese 梁 (utupari); attested phonetically in Old Japanese in the Shin'yaku Kegonkyō Ongi Shiki of 794, with the spelling 宇都波利.[1][2]

Likely a compound of 内 (utsu-, “inside”, bound form) +‎ 張り (hari, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of 張る (haru, “to stick; to spread”)), as suggested by various works.[2]

Alternatively, the initial utsu- is connected to utsu-, spelled variously in addition to 内 (“inside”) as 全 (“all of which is contained in a group”), 空, 虚 (“an inner hollow or empty space; an inner void”), which are likely cognates.[2]

• (Tokyo) うつばり [ùtsúbárí] (Heiban – [0])[2][3][4]
• IPA^(key): [ɯ̟ᵝt͡sɨᵝba̠ɾʲi]

梁(うつばり) • (utsubari) 

1. a beam
2. (figuratively) the central figure or person, a pillar

Attested in the Muromachi period.[5]

The late attestation in Middle Japanese suggests that this might have been an abbreviation of 梁 (utsubari), also pronounced utsuhari in older texts.

• (Tokyo) はり​ [hàríꜜ] (Odaka – [2])[5][3][4]
• IPA^(key): [ha̠ɾʲi]

梁(はり) • (hari) 

1. beam, joist

From Old Japanese 梁 (yana). Attested in the Nihon Shoki of 720.[6][7]

There are various theories, such as a derivation from 屋魚 (ya na, “house of a fish”), やる魚 (yaru na, “a fish to be done”), an abbreviation of 梁簀 (yanasu), and a shift from 板庭 (itaniwa).[7]

• (Tokyo) や​な [yáꜜnà] (Atamadaka – [1])[7][3][4]
• IPA^(key): [ja̠na̠]

梁(やな) • (yana) 

1. fish trap, fish weir

From Middle Chinese 梁 (MC ljang).

• (Tokyo) りょ​ー [ryóꜜò] (Atamadaka – [1])[8]
• IPA^(key): [ɾʲo̞ː]

梁(りょう) • (Ryō) 

1. (historical) Liang

From Middle Chinese 梁 (MC ljang). Recorded as Middle Korean 랴ᇰ (lyang) (Yale: lyang) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Wikisource 梁 (eumhun 들보 량 (deulbo ryang), South Korea 들보 양 (deulbo yang))

1. Hanja form^? of 량/양 (“beam; bridge”).

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

梁: Hán Nôm readings: lương

1. Chữ Hán form of Lương (“a surname from Chinese.”).