diff --git a/config.go b/config.go
index 2adcdc3b..b06744e9 100644
--- a/config.go
+++ b/config.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	ValidateJsonRawMessage        bool
 	ObjectFieldMustBeSimpleString bool
 	CaseSensitive                 bool
+	EmptyCollections              bool
 }
 
 // API the public interface of this package.
@@ -80,6 +81,7 @@ type frozenConfig struct {
 	streamPool                    *sync.Pool
 	iteratorPool                  *sync.Pool
 	caseSensitive                 bool
+	emptyCollections              bool
 }
 
 func (cfg *frozenConfig) initCache() {
@@ -134,6 +136,7 @@ func (cfg Config) Froze() API {
 		onlyTaggedField:               cfg.OnlyTaggedField,
 		disallowUnknownFields:         cfg.DisallowUnknownFields,
 		caseSensitive:                 cfg.CaseSensitive,
+		emptyCollections:              cfg.EmptyCollections,
 	}
 	api.streamPool = &sync.Pool{
 		New: func() interface{} {
diff --git a/misc_tests/jsoniter_array_test.go b/misc_tests/jsoniter_array_test.go
index ef60420d..c9de2fda 100644
--- a/misc_tests/jsoniter_array_test.go
+++ b/misc_tests/jsoniter_array_test.go
@@ -226,6 +226,23 @@ func Test_decode_large_slice(t *testing.T) {
 	should.Equal([]int{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9}, slice)
 }
 
+func Test_encode_nil_slice(t *testing.T) {
+	should := require.New(t)
+	var nilSlice []string
+	output, err := jsoniter.MarshalToString(nilSlice)
+	should.NoError(err)
+	should.Equal(`null`, output)
+}
+
+func Test_encode_nil_as_empty_slice(t *testing.T) {
+	should := require.New(t)
+	json := jsoniter.Config{EmptyCollections: true}.Froze()
+	var nilSlice []string
+	output, err := json.MarshalToString(nilSlice)
+	should.NoError(err)
+	should.Equal(`[]`, output)
+}
+
 func Benchmark_jsoniter_array(b *testing.B) {
 	b.ReportAllocs()
 	input := []byte(`[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]`)
diff --git a/misc_tests/jsoniter_map_test.go b/misc_tests/jsoniter_map_test.go
index b73de698..5d4e4c69 100644
--- a/misc_tests/jsoniter_map_test.go
+++ b/misc_tests/jsoniter_map_test.go
@@ -50,3 +50,12 @@ func Test_encode_nil_map(t *testing.T) {
 	should.NoError(err)
 	should.Equal(`null`, output)
 }
+
+func Test_encode_nil_as_empty_map(t *testing.T) {
+	should := require.New(t)
+	json := jsoniter.Config{EmptyCollections: true}.Froze()
+	var nilMap map[string]string
+	output, err := json.MarshalToString(nilMap)
+	should.NoError(err)
+	should.Equal(`{}`, output)
+}
diff --git a/reflect_map.go b/reflect_map.go
index 4e479c8a..9c9c682e 100644
--- a/reflect_map.go
+++ b/reflect_map.go
@@ -27,15 +27,17 @@ func encoderOfMap(ctx *ctx, typ reflect2.Type) ValEncoder {
 	mapType := typ.(*reflect2.UnsafeMapType)
 	if ctx.sortMapKeys {
 		return &sortKeysMapEncoder{
-			mapType:     mapType,
-			keyEncoder:  encoderOfMapKey(ctx.append("[mapKey]"), mapType.Key()),
-			elemEncoder: encoderOfType(ctx.append("[mapElem]"), mapType.Elem()),
+			mapType:          mapType,
+			keyEncoder:       encoderOfMapKey(ctx.append("[mapKey]"), mapType.Key()),
+			elemEncoder:      encoderOfType(ctx.append("[mapElem]"), mapType.Elem()),
+			emptyCollections: ctx.emptyCollections,
 		}
 	}
 	return &mapEncoder{
-		mapType:     mapType,
-		keyEncoder:  encoderOfMapKey(ctx.append("[mapKey]"), mapType.Key()),
-		elemEncoder: encoderOfType(ctx.append("[mapElem]"), mapType.Elem()),
+		mapType:          mapType,
+		keyEncoder:       encoderOfMapKey(ctx.append("[mapKey]"), mapType.Key()),
+		elemEncoder:      encoderOfType(ctx.append("[mapElem]"), mapType.Elem()),
+		emptyCollections: ctx.emptyCollections,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -246,13 +248,18 @@ func (encoder *dynamicMapKeyEncoder) IsEmpty(ptr unsafe.Pointer) bool {
 }
 
 type mapEncoder struct {
-	mapType     *reflect2.UnsafeMapType
-	keyEncoder  ValEncoder
-	elemEncoder ValEncoder
+	mapType          *reflect2.UnsafeMapType
+	keyEncoder       ValEncoder
+	elemEncoder      ValEncoder
+	emptyCollections bool
 }
 
 func (encoder *mapEncoder) Encode(ptr unsafe.Pointer, stream *Stream) {
 	if *(*unsafe.Pointer)(ptr) == nil {
+		if encoder.emptyCollections {
+			stream.WriteEmptyObject()
+			return
+		}
 		stream.WriteNil()
 		return
 	}
@@ -280,13 +287,18 @@ func (encoder *mapEncoder) IsEmpty(ptr unsafe.Pointer) bool {
 }
 
 type sortKeysMapEncoder struct {
-	mapType     *reflect2.UnsafeMapType
-	keyEncoder  ValEncoder
-	elemEncoder ValEncoder
+	mapType          *reflect2.UnsafeMapType
+	keyEncoder       ValEncoder
+	elemEncoder      ValEncoder
+	emptyCollections bool
 }
 
 func (encoder *sortKeysMapEncoder) Encode(ptr unsafe.Pointer, stream *Stream) {
 	if *(*unsafe.Pointer)(ptr) == nil {
+		if encoder.emptyCollections {
+			stream.WriteEmptyObject()
+			return
+		}
 		stream.WriteNil()
 		return
 	}
diff --git a/reflect_slice.go b/reflect_slice.go
index 9441d79d..7c6d989d 100644
--- a/reflect_slice.go
+++ b/reflect_slice.go
@@ -16,16 +16,21 @@ func decoderOfSlice(ctx *ctx, typ reflect2.Type) ValDecoder {
 func encoderOfSlice(ctx *ctx, typ reflect2.Type) ValEncoder {
 	sliceType := typ.(*reflect2.UnsafeSliceType)
 	encoder := encoderOfType(ctx.append("[sliceElem]"), sliceType.Elem())
-	return &sliceEncoder{sliceType, encoder}
+	return &sliceEncoder{sliceType, encoder, ctx.emptyCollections}
 }
 
 type sliceEncoder struct {
-	sliceType   *reflect2.UnsafeSliceType
-	elemEncoder ValEncoder
+	sliceType        *reflect2.UnsafeSliceType
+	elemEncoder      ValEncoder
+	emptyCollections bool
 }
 
 func (encoder *sliceEncoder) Encode(ptr unsafe.Pointer, stream *Stream) {
 	if encoder.sliceType.UnsafeIsNil(ptr) {
+		if encoder.emptyCollections {
+			stream.WriteEmptyArray()
+			return
+		}
 		stream.WriteNil()
 		return
 	}