“夷”字早期泛指中原周邊的地區和族群。 自明代歐人來華，該字的涵義擴大至中外關係中，凡國外之人之事一律冠以“夷”字，是古代中國朝貢制度下“天下”觀念的產物。 “夷”字（以及相關或由該字構成的詞語）的翻譯是一個重要的學術話題，體現了語言背後的權力關係和政治博弈。 澳門是西學東漸的重要舞台以及 16～19 世紀重要的華洋共處之地。 葡萄牙人自澳門開埠初期便認為“夷”字帶有貶義，但直至 19 世紀中葉並未提出明顯異議，而是在翻譯中採取一定策略，既維護自身尊嚴，又避免發生衝突。 19 世紀下半葉，隨著國際形勢和葡萄牙對華政策的變化，葡人才旗幟鮮明禁止“夷”字的使用。

The Chinese character “yi” originally referred to regions and ethnic groups outside of the Central Plains. Since the arrival of Europeans in China during the Ming Dynasty, the meaning of this character expanded to encompass all matters related to foreign lands, reflecting the concept of “tianxia” (all under heaven) under the tribute system of ancient China. The translation of the character “yi” (and related terms derived from it) is an important academic topic, reflecting the power relations and political games behind the language. Macao served as a significant stage for the eastward spread of Western learning and was an important place of coexistence between Chinese and Western cultures from the 16th to the 19th century. The Portuguese have considered this character to have a derogatory meaning since the beginning of Macao’s history, but did not raise significant objections until the mid-19th century. Instead, they adopted certain translation strategies to uphold their dignity and avoid conflicts. In the second half of the 19th century, due to changes in the international situation and Portugal’s policies towards China, the Portuguese authorities explicitly prohibited the use of the character “yi”.