從洪武至成化的一百余年間,明朝以"厚往薄來"政策為基調的對外交往,經歷了由銳意開拓到主動收縮的轉變。經過仁宣時期的調整,從英宗正統年間開始,對"四夷"的朝貢賞賜由慷慨逐步轉為計較,向明廷朝貢的國家數量也由多變少。隨著國家財力的衰退,一些朝臣更以"招徠四夷"為弊政。這個變化表明,明朝服務于政治需要的對外交往,同樣要受經濟基礎的制約,如脫離了互利的經貿本質,以提升、維系朝廷顏面為目的的"厚往薄來"政策是難以持久的。隨著對外交往的收縮,官方性質的"四夷來朝"盛況不再,民間性質的"四夷來商"則日漸興起。明廷對外部世界的探索、了解亦趨于停頓,對世界的認知存在明顯局限。

During the period from Hongwu to Chenghua, the Ming Dynasty, taking "giving much and taking little" as a guideline for its foreign affairs, underwent a change from wide expansion to active contraction. Experiencing the adjustment in Renxuan period and starting from Emperor Yingzong, rewards for "siyi" paying tributes were not generous any more, leading to the decreased number of countries who presented tributes to the Ming court. With the decline of the nation’s fi nancial resources some courtiers even considered "opening to siyi" as maladministration. As reflected in the change, diplomatic activities for politics in the Ming court were also limited by economic situation, as a result of which the foreign policy "giving much and taking little", intended to elevate and keep the court’s prestige, was diffi cult to function continuously after leaving the mutually benefi cial economic and trading system. With the diplomatic contraction, the grand occasion where officially "siyi came to pay tribute" failed the court, but the one that "siyi traded" came into sight in folk. The Ming Court began to stop its exploration of the outside world. Thus, the Ming’s knowledge of the world was clearly limited.