Writing the volume on “the Ming” for a series entitled “Dynasties” provides the opportunity to reflect on what we mean when we use this English term in the context of China’s past. Recent historiographical debates on the validity of the term have alternatively seen “dynasty” as a useful heuristic device enabling truly comparative global history, or a colonialist imposition designed to exoticize, even delegitimise, the “non-Western” polity. This talk will use the example of Great Ming to revisit this contentious issue, and think about what the Chinese case might contribute to the larger debate.