成长求学时期
梁思成的父亲梁启超，是清末改革家，为躲避清政府迫害而出国，所以梁思成出生于日本东京。1912年，辛亥革命后，梁思成随父母从日本回国，在北京崇德国小及汇文中学（1912-1914）就学。1915年，入北平清华学校（清华大学前身），1923年毕业于清华学校高等科。1924年，和林徽因一起赴美国费城宾州大学建筑系学习，1927年获得学士和硕士学位，又去哈佛大学学习建筑史，研究中国古代建筑（肄业）。
1928年3月21日， 梁思成与林徽因在加拿大渥太华的中国总领事馆举行婚礼。之后赴欧洲参观古建筑，8月18日回国后，在沈阳东北大学任教，创立了中国现代教育史上第一个建筑学系。1929年8月，林徽因从东北回到北平（今北京市），在协和医院生下女儿，取名梁再冰，意为纪念已故父亲梁启超“饮冰室”书房雅号。
1930年，和张锐参与天津市规划，以《天津特别市物质建设方案》获奖。
抗日战争期间
日本侵占中国东北后，梁思成于1931年回到北平，进入中国营造学社工作（任法式部主任）。
在1932年，主持了故宫文渊阁的修复工程。同年，著成《清式营造则例》手稿。
从1937年起，和林徽因等人先后踏遍中国十五省二百多个县，测绘和拍摄二千多件唐、宋、辽、金、元、明、清各代保留下来的古建筑遗物，包括天津蓟县辽代建筑独乐寺观音阁、宝坻辽代建筑广济寺、河北正定辽代建筑隆兴寺、山西辽代应县木塔、大同辽代寺庙群华严寺和善化寺、河北赵州隋朝建造的安济桥等。这些重大考察结果，写成文章在国外发表，引起国际上对这些文物的重视，为梁思成日后注释《营造法式》和编写《中国建筑史》，准备良好的基础。
1944至1945年，梁思成任教育部战区文物保存委员会副主任。
解放战争期间
1946年，梁思成赴美国讲学，受聘美国耶鲁大学教授，并担任联合国大厦设计顾问建筑师。因他在中国古代建筑的研究上做出了杰出的贡献，被美国普林斯顿大学授予名誉文学博士学位。同年，梁思成回到母校清华大学创办了建筑系。
1948年，在平津战役前，梁思成绘制了《全国文物古建筑目录》，交给中国人民解放军，使北平古迹避免受到炮击，很好的保护了北京的文物和古城墙。
中华人民共和国时期
中华人民共和国成立后，梁思成除了仍在清华大学任教授和建筑系主任外，还先后担任了北京市都市计划委员会副主任、中国建筑学会副理事长、中国美术家协会常务理事、中国文联全国委员会委员、中华全国自然科学专门学会联合会委员、中国科学技术协会委员、建筑科学研究院建筑理论与历史研究室主任、北京市城市建设委员会副主任等职。
1950年初，梁思成与都市计划委员会的陈占祥一起向政府提出了新北京城的规划方案---《关于中央人民政府行政中心位置的建议》。主张保护北京古建筑和城墙，建议在西郊建新北京，保护旧北京城，不在旧城建高层建筑，但建议没有被采纳。之后他多次上书，挽救了北海的团城。
1953年5月，北京市开始酝酿拆除牌楼，对古建筑的大规模拆除开始蔓延。梁思成因提倡以传统形式保护北京古城而多次遭到批判。时任北京市副市长吴晗担任解释拆除工作的任务，为了挽救四朝古都仅存的完整牌楼街不因政治因素毁于一旦，梁思成与吴晗发生了激烈的争论。之后，在文化部举办的文物界知名人士欧美同学聚餐会上，林徽因也与吴晗发生了一次面对面的冲突。
1962年，在林徽因病逝七年之后，梁思成娶了比自己小27岁的林洙（程应铨前妻）。
文化大革命中，梁思成被当作“复古”典型批判并抄家，所收藏的全部图书资料被没收。
1972年1月9日，梁思成病逝于北京。
 

1963年，梁思成设计了扬州“鉴真和尚纪念堂”。建筑于1973年建成，1984年，荣获中国优秀建筑设计一等奖。
1988年8月，中华人民共和国国家科学技术委员会颁发证书，表彰梁思成教授和他所领导的集体在“中国古代建筑理论及文物建筑保护”的研究中做出的重要贡献，被国家科学技术委员会授予国家自然科学奖一等奖。
1999年，原建设部设立“梁思成建筑奖”，以近代著名建筑家和教育家梁思成先生命名，是授予中国建筑师的最高荣誉奖，以表彰奖励在建筑设计创作中做出重大贡献和成绩的杰出建筑师。

美国学者费正清对梁思成在抗战时期的工作作了如下的评价：“二战”中，我们在中国的西部再度重逢，他们却都已成了半残的病人，但仍在不顾一切地、在极端艰苦的条件下致力于学术。当时林徽因身患肺结核，梁思成则因为青年时代一次车祸的后遗症而导致脊椎受伤。然而，无论疾病还是艰难的生活都无损于他们对自己的开创性研究工作的热情。就是在战时的这一时期，梁思成用英文写成了《图像中国建筑史》。在我们的心目中，他们是不畏困难、献身科学的崇高典范。
梁思成的学术成就也受到国外学术界的重视，专事研究中国科学史的英国学者李约瑟说：梁思成是研究“中国建筑历史的宗师”。

Growth period
Liang Qichao Liang Sicheng's father, is the end of the Qing Dynasty reformer, abroad to escape persecution of the Qing government, so Liang Sicheng was born in Tokyo of japan. 1912, after the 1911 Revolution, Liang Sicheng with his parents returned from Japan, in Beijing Chong German small and Hui Wen secondary school (1912-1914) school. In 1915, Beijing Tsinghua School (Tsinghua University), 1923 graduated from Tsinghua School of higher. In 1924, Lin Whei-yin went to the United States and the Department of architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1927 received bachelor's and master's degrees, and to learn the history of architecture of Harvard University, Chinese ancient buildings (study).
March 21, 1928, Liang Sicheng and Lin Whei-yin in Ottawa, Canada, China Consulate General held a wedding. After visiting the ancient architecture in Europe, after returning home in August 18th, taught at Northeastern University in Shenyang, founded the first Department of architecture in the history of modern Chinese education. In August 1929, Lin Whei-yin returned to the northeast from Peking (now Beijing city), gave birth to her daughter in the hospital, named in honor of the late Zaibing beam, meaning father Liang Qichao "ice room" study title. [2]
1930, and Zhang Rui participate in Tianjin planning to "Tianjin special city material construction program" award.
Anti-Japanese War
The Japanese occupation of northeast China, Liang Sicheng in 1931 to go back to Beijing, into the society work Chinese (appointed director of the Department of French building).
In 1932, presided over the repair project of the Imperial Palace wenyuange. The same year, with a "clear regulations".
From 1937 onwards, and Lin Whei-yin et al have traveled China fifteen provinces and more than and 200 counties, more than 2 thousand mapping and the photography of Tang and song, Liao, Jin, yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties preserved ancient architectural relics, including Tianjin Jixian County Liao architecture dulesi Temple Guanyin Pavilion, Baodi Guangji temple, Hebei Liao architecture Zhengding Longxing Liao architecture Shanxi temple, Yingxian Wood Tower, the temple complex Liao Datong Huayan Temple Shanhua temple, and Hebei Zhaozhou Anji bridge built in the Sui Dynasty. The major study results, written in the article published in a foreign country, to attract international attention for these relics, days after Liang Sicheng notes "create a French" and write "China architectural history", a foundation for good.
1944 to 1945, Liang Sicheng, deputy director of the Ministry of education cultural relics preservation committee.
During the liberation war
In 1946, Liang Sicheng went to the United States to give lectures, appointed professor at the Yale University, and served as the UN building design consultant architect. Because he made an outstanding contribution to the study of ancient Chinese architecture, he was awarded honorary doctor degree by Princeton University. In the same year, Liang Sicheng returned to his alma mater, Tsinghua University, founder of the Department of architecture.
In 1948, Tianjin before the battle, Liang Sicheng drew a "national cultural relic building directory", to China people's Liberation Army, to avoid shelling beijing monuments, good protection of the Beijing cultural relics and ancient city wall.
People's Republic of China period
After the establishment of People's Republic of China, Liang Sicheng in addition to still served as a professor and director of the Department of architecture in Tsinghua University, also served as the Beijing City Planning Commission deputy director, deputy director of the Architectural Society of China, China Artists Association executive director, Chinese Federation National Committee, the Chinese national Natural Science Institute Joint Committee, science and Technology Association member, China Building Research Institute of architectural theory and History Research Office, Beijing City Construction Committee Deputy director.
In early 1950, Liang Sicheng and the Urban Planning Commission of the together with the government proposed a new Beijing city planning - "on the Central People's government administrative center position proposal". Advocate for the protection of Beijing ancient buildings and walls built in the western suburbs of Beijing, proposed new, protect the old city of Beijing, in the old urban high-rise buildings, but the proposal was not adopted. After he repeatedly petitioned, saved Beihai city.
In May 1953, Beijing began to dismantle the archway, large-scale demolition of ancient buildings began to spread. Liang Sicheng was criticized for advocating to protect the ancient city of Beijing in traditional form. When he was deputy mayor of Beijing city Wu Han as the explanation of the demolition work of the task, in order to save the remaining four dynasties complete arch street be destroyed on one day because of political factors, a fierce debate about Liang Sicheng and Wu han. Later, in the Ministry of culture organized cultural celebrities and classmates at the party, Lin Whei-yin and Wu Han had a face-to-face conflict.
In 1962, seven years after Lin Whei-yin died, Liang Sicheng married 27 years younger than their Lin Zhu (Cheng Yingquan ex-wife).
During the cultural revolution, Liang Sicheng was regarded as a "retro" typical criticism and Chaogu, collection of all books were confiscated.
In January 9, 1972, Liang Sicheng died in Beijing.

In 1963, Liang Sicheng designed the "monk Memorial Hall" in Yangzhou". Built in 1973, in 1984, won the first prize of excellent architectural design in china.
In August 1988, the certificate issued by the People's Republic of China state science and Technology Commission, in recognition of the important contribution of Professor Liang Sicheng and his leadership make collective "research China ancient architectural theory and architectural heritage protection", by the national science and Technology Committee awarded the first prize of the National Natural Science award.
In 1999, the former Ministry of construction set up "Liang Sicheng Construction Award", named after the famous modern architect and educator Liang Sicheng, was awarded the highest honor Chinese Architects Award, in recognition of outstanding architects award made great contributions and achievements in architectural design and creation.
The American scholar Fei Zhengqing Liang Sicheng made the following evaluation in the period of Anti Japanese war work: "World War II", in the western Chinese we meet again, they have become a semi disabled patients, but still in the ground, fling caution to the winds in the extremely difficult conditions is committed to academic. Lin Whei-yin was suffering from tuberculosis, Liang Sicheng because of a youth accident caused by sequelae of spinal injuries. However, neither illness nor hard life can detract from their enthusiasm for their pioneering research. It was during this period of war that Liang Sicheng wrote "the history of Chinese architecture in English". In our minds, they are not afraid of difficulties, dedication to science of the noble model.
Liang Sicheng's academic achievement by foreign academic attention, specializing in the history of science Chinese British scholar Joseph Needham said: "Liang Sicheng is a research Chinese architectural history master".