Meanings
- alternativeAlternative form of Gaogouli (Goguryeo).
In the east, he defeated the state of Koguryō (Kao-kou-li) with ease in A.D. 12.
1986, “The Reign of Wang Mang”, in John K. Fairbank, Albert Feuerwerker, editors, The Cambridge History of China, volume 1, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 2394 more examples
The journey to the monuments of the ancient Korean kingdom of Kao-kou-li (Kokurye, in Korean), in the Hsien of Chi-an, on the r. bank of the Ya-lu Chiang (Am-nok kang or Pul-ryu in Korean), can be made by either of two routes:[…]
1912, Northern China, The Valley of the Blue River, Korea, Hachette & Company, →OCLC, page 246Ho-pei was then a prosperous and populous agricultural region and the centre of Chinese culture in the north. Moreover, there was peace and trade with its north-eastern neighbour, Kao-kou-li. After Ch’i was conquered by Chou and after Chou’s successor Sui had united the whole empire, the flow of trade from the south passed by Ho-pei to the north-west. Then Sui attacked Kao-kou-li. The reasons for the ensuing intermittent war which lasted for three-quarters of a century and proved so costly and profitless to China are obscure. It is not impossible, however, that the court at Ch’ang-an felt a danger in the existence of close relations between Ho-pei and its north-eastern neighbour. If the people of Ho-pei were indeed hostile to being ruled from the west, there might have been danger of their seeking support from Korea. However this may be, and it is largely conjecture, the state of enmity between Kao-kou-li and China must have seriously interfered with trade across southern Manchuria and have further tended to turn northern Ho-pei into an economic backwater.
1955, Edwin G. Pulleyblank, “The Special Situation in Ho-pei”, in The Background of the Rebellion of An Lu-shan (London Oriental Series), number 4, Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, published 1982, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 77Kao-kou-li later pushed down into the Korean peninsula and became the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms among which Korea was divided in Sui and T'ang times.
1983, E. G. Pulleyblank, “The Chinese and Their Neighbors in Prehistoric and Early Historic Times”, in The Origins of Chinese Civilization, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 443As recorded in the "History of Kao-kou-li," in Wei Shu (written 551-554), the story is as follows: "Kao-kou-li was founded by the Fu-yü, who called their ancestor Chu Meng.
1983, K. C. Chang, “Clans, Towns, and the Political Landscape”, in Art, Myth, and Ritual: The Path to Political Authority in Ancient China, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 12
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Mandarin高句麗
- EnglishKao-kou-li
From Mandarin 高句麗 (Gāogōulí), Wade–Giles romanization: Kao¹-kou¹-li².
More words from Mandarin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Kao-kou-li. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kao-kou-li
“Kao-kou-li.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kao-kou-li. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Kao-kou-li,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kao-kou-li.
Source: Kao-kou-li on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.