基辛格在这章开头，对周恩来的形象，做了最准确，最动人，但也同时最难翻译的描述：“In some sixty years of public life, I have encountered no more compelling figure than Zhou Enlai.”大意为：“在我六十余年公众人物生涯中，所遇到的人物，没有人比周恩来更compelling。”基辛格不仅仅是个政客，也是个大学问家。他以词汇量丰富，极会遣词造句，用词力道拿捏准确而闻名。在对周恩来的评价上，他使用了“compelling”一词。很不幸，这个词，在汉语对应上，很难用一个词来把其全部意思表达透彻。什么叫“compelling?”根据美国韦氏词典权威解释如下：“having a powerful and irresistible effect; requiring acute admiration, attention, or respect.”即，“具有强大的不可抗拒的影响力；令人高度崇拜，引人关注，或使人尊重。”您看，基辛格就是这么毫不吝啬地使用了这么一个词。
接下来，他继续毫不掩饰自己对周恩来崇拜之情地写道：“Short, elegant, with an expressive face framing luminous eyes,”大意：“不高但很优美的身材，脸上表情十分丰富，眼睛充满光芒，”随后，他用极其考究的英语写道：“he dominated by exceptional intelligence and capacity to intuit the intangibles of the psychology of his opposite number.”意即：“他以超凡的智慧与能力，洞察对手的心理活动的秋毫，使自己成为情势绝对把握者。”
他这样写毛泽东与周恩来给他的不同印象：“The difference between the leaders was reflected in their personalities. Mao dominated any gathering; Zhou suffused it. Mao’s passion strove to overwhelm opposition; Zhou’s intellect would seek to persuade or outmaneuver it; Mao was sardonic; Zhou penetrating; Mao thought of himself as a philosopher; Zhou saw his role as an administrator or a negotiator. Mao was eager to accelerate history; Zhou was content to exploit it’s currents;”这段话写得精彩至极，俺读到此，禁不住掩卷，道声“写得好”，便畅快地哈哈大笑起来。大意是：“两位领导者的不同，从其性格中即反射出来。毛绝对掌控着会见情势；周则点缀着自己的色彩；毛的激情会不由自主地散发出去，产生极力影响对方的力量；而周的沉着理智则具说服力，或者说总是棋高一步；毛对一切都持怀疑态度；周则凡事趋于深入探索；毛认为自己是个哲人；周则自认是个从命执行者，或者说是个斡旋者；毛热衷于加速历史进程；周却更喜在历史中找寻有用之物。”
