diff --git a/config/ini.go b/config/ini.go
index da6f2b3a..a690ede0 100644
--- a/config/ini.go
+++ b/config/ini.go
@@ -270,7 +270,11 @@ func (c *IniConfigContainer) DefaultString(key string, defaultval string) string
 
 // Strings returns the []string value for a given key.
 func (c *IniConfigContainer) Strings(key string) []string {
-	return strings.Split(c.String(key), ";")
+	v := c.String(key)
+	if v == "" {
+		return []string{}
+	}
+	return strings.Split(v, ";")
 }
 
 // DefaultStrings returns the []string value for a given key.
diff --git a/config/ini_test.go b/config/ini_test.go
index 11063d99..93fce61f 100644
--- a/config/ini_test.go
+++ b/config/ini_test.go
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ peers = one;two;three
 			"null":                  "",
 			"demo2::key1":           "",
 			"error":                 "",
+			"emptystrings":          []string{},
 		}
 	)
 
diff --git a/config/xml/xml.go b/config/xml/xml.go
index ffb32862..2757b0bc 100644
--- a/config/xml/xml.go
+++ b/config/xml/xml.go
@@ -174,7 +174,11 @@ func (c *ConfigContainer) DefaultString(key string, defaultval string) string {
 
 // Strings returns the []string value for a given key.
 func (c *ConfigContainer) Strings(key string) []string {
-	return strings.Split(c.String(key), ";")
+	v := c.String(key)
+	if v == "" {
+		return []string{}
+	}
+	return strings.Split(v, ";")
 }
 
 // DefaultStrings returns the []string value for a given key.
diff --git a/config/xml/xml_test.go b/config/xml/xml_test.go
index fa3c17f1..308e257d 100644
--- a/config/xml/xml_test.go
+++ b/config/xml/xml_test.go
@@ -82,4 +82,7 @@ func TestXML(t *testing.T) {
 	if xmlconf.String("name") != "astaxie" {
 		t.Fatal("get name error")
 	}
+	if len(xmlconf.Strings("emptystrings")) != 0 {
+		t.Fatal("get emtpy strings error")
+	}
 }
diff --git a/config/yaml/yaml.go b/config/yaml/yaml.go
index 9a96ac92..9a4fb2e9 100644
--- a/config/yaml/yaml.go
+++ b/config/yaml/yaml.go
@@ -211,7 +211,11 @@ func (c *ConfigContainer) DefaultString(key string, defaultval string) string {
 
 // Strings returns the []string value for a given key.
 func (c *ConfigContainer) Strings(key string) []string {
-	return strings.Split(c.String(key), ";")
+	v := c.String(key)
+	if v == "" {
+		return []string{}
+	}
+	return strings.Split(v, ";")
 }
 
 // DefaultStrings returns the []string value for a given key.
diff --git a/config/yaml/yaml_test.go b/config/yaml/yaml_test.go
index 19ecdca1..3bbaaa32 100644
--- a/config/yaml/yaml_test.go
+++ b/config/yaml/yaml_test.go
@@ -79,4 +79,8 @@ func TestYaml(t *testing.T) {
 	if yamlconf.String("name") != "astaxie" {
 		t.Fatal("get name error")
 	}
+
+	if len(yamlconf.Strings("emptystrings")) != 0 {
+		t.Fatal("get emtpy strings error")
+	}
 }