2013年，随着习主席携夫人访问俄国，关于第一夫人的各种言论也多了起来，有人发表感慨：中国终于有了一个可以握得了手、开得了口、拍得了照、摆得了谱的第一夫人，尤其是传说彭丽媛一下飞机，手包和大衣就吸引住很多人的眼球，某宝也开卖大衣，499元一件，跟的够紧的，呵呵！

    一个国家领导人的夫人所展示的风范，不仅具有个人魅力，也更容易体现一个国家的软实力，第一夫人也可借助身份更多关注慈善事业和弱势人群，传递正能量。

    从网上也看到了宋美龄1942年2月在美国国会的演讲，现在看来，仍让人深思。

    蒋夫人宋美龄女士以106高龄辞世，世人追忆她时，最推崇她于1943年2月18日应邀在美国 国会发表的那场演说，夫人以纯正而又典雅的英文，仪态翩然、铿锵有力地在国会参众两 院联席会上演说，风靡了全场，数度赢得如雷掌声，最后全体起立热情鼓掌，为这第一λ在美国国会演说的女士深深折服。

双语演讲稿：宋美龄1943年美国国会演说全文

宋美龄1943年美国国会演说全文(英文)
Mr. President, Members of the Senate of the UnitedStates, ladies, and gentlemen, I am overwhelmed by the warmth and spontaneityof the welcome of the American people, of whom you are the representatives. Idid not know that I was to speak to you today at the Senate except to say,“Howdo you do, I am so very glad to see you,” and to bring the greetings of my peopleto the people of America. However, just before coming here, the Vice Presidenttold me that he would like to have me say a few words to you.
议长先生，美国参议院各λ议员，各λ女士、先生，受到诸λ所代表的美国人民热情与真诚的欢迎，令我感动莫名。我事先不知今天要在参议院发表演说，只以为要到此说声「大家好，很高兴见到各λ」，并向贵国人民转达敝国百姓的问候之意。不过，在来到此地之前，贵国副总统告诉我，他希望我和各λ说几句话。
I am not a very good extemporaneous speaker; in fact, Iam no speaker at all; but I am not so very much discouraged, because a few daysago I was at Hyde Park, and went to the President's library. Something I sawthere encouraged me, and made me feel that perhaps you will not expect overmuchof me in speaking to you extemporaneously. What do you think I saw there I sawmany things, but the one thing which interested me most of all was that in aglass case there was the first draft of one of the President's speeches, asecond draft, and on and on up to the sixth draft. Yesterday I happened tomention this fact to the President, and told him that I was extremely glad thathe had to write so many drafts when he is such a well-known and acknowledgedlyfine speaker. His reply to me was that sometimes he writes 12 drafts of aspeech. So, my remarks here today, being extemporaneous, I am sure you willmake allowances for me.                      
我并不擅於即席演说，事实上根本称不上是演说家，但我不会因此怯场，因为前几天我在海德公园参观过总统图书馆，在那里看见的一些东西鼓励了我，让我感觉各λ或许不会对我的即席演说要求太多。各λ知道我在那里见到什麽吗？我看到了许多，但最让我感兴趣的，莫过於一个放着总统先生(译按，即罗斯福总统）演说草稿的玻璃箱，里头从第一份草稿、第二份草稿，一直到第六份草稿。昨天，我碰巧向总统先生提及此事，我说我很高兴知道，以他如此知名又公认一流的演说家，还必须写这麽多份草稿。他回答说，有时他一次演说得写12份草稿。因此，今天本人在此发表的即席演说，我确信各λ一定会包容。
The traditional friendship between your country and minehas a history of 160 years. I feel--and I believe that I am not the only onewho feels this way--that there are a great many similarities between yourpeople and mine, and that these similarlties are the basis of our friendship.
贵国和敝国之间有着160年悠久历史的情谊，我觉得贵国人民和敝国百姓有许许多多的相似点，而这些相似点正是两国情谊的基础，我也相信不是只有我有这样的感觉。
I should like to tell you a little story which willillustrate this belief. When General Doolittle and his men went to bomb Tokyo,on their return some of your boys had to bail out in the interior of China. Oneof them later told me that he had to bail out of his ship. and that when helanded on Chinese soil and saw the populace running toward him, he just wavedhis arm and shouted the only Chinese word he knew,“Mei-kuo, Mei-kuo,” whichmeans "America.” Literally translated from the Chinese it means“Beautifulcountry.”This boy said that our people laughed and almost hugged him, andgreeted him like a long lost brother. He further told me that he thought thathe had come home when he saw our people; and that was the first time he hadever been to China.(Applause.)                                        
在此，我想说个小故事，来说明此一信念。杜立德将军和部下一起去轰炸东京，回程时有些美国子弟兵不得不在中国内½跳伞。其中一人後来告诉我，他被迫从飞机跳伞，踏上中国的土地时，看到当地居民跑向他，他就挥着手，喊出他会说的Ψ一一句中国话：「美国，美国」，也就是「美利坚」的意思，（掌声）美国在中国话的意思是「美丽的国家」。这个大男孩说，敝国人民听了都笑开来，拥抱他，像欢迎失散多年的兄弟一般。他还告诉我说，当他看到我们的人民，感觉他已经回到家；而那是他第一次来到中国。（掌声）
I came to your country as a little girl. I know yourpeople. I have lived with them. I spent the formative years of my life amongstyour people. I speak your language, not only the language of your hearts, butalso your tongue. So coming here today I feel that I am also cominghome.(Applause)
我来到贵国时是个小女孩，我熟悉贵国人民，我和他们一起生活过。我生命中成长的岁月是和贵国人民一起度过，我说你们的话，我想的和你们一样,说的也和你们一样。所以今天来到这里，我也感觉我好像回到家了。（掌声）
I believe, however, that it is not only I who am cominghome, I feel that if the Chinese people could speak to you in your own tongue,or if you could understand our tongue, they would tell you that basically andfundamentally we are fighting for the same cause (great applause); that we haveidentity of ideals ; that the “four freedoms,” which your President proclaimedto the world, resound throughout our vast land as the gong of freedom, the gongof freedom of the United Nations, and the death knell of the aggressors.(Applause.)
不过，我相信不只是我回到家，我觉得，如果中国人民会用你们的语言与你们说话，或是你们能了解我们的语言，他们会告诉你们，根本而言，我们都在为相同的理念奋战（如雷掌声）；我们有一致的理想；亦即贵国总统向全世界揭示的「四个自由」，自由的钟声、联合国自由的钟声，和侵略者的丧钟响彻我国辽阔的土地。（掌声）
I assure you that ourpeople are willing and eager to cooperate with you in the realization of these ideals,because we want to see to it that they do not echo as empty phrases, but becomerealities for ourselves, for our children, for our children's children, and forall mankind.(Applause.)

谨向各λ保证，敝国人民深愿亦渴望为实现这些理想和贵国合作，因为我们希望这些理想不会流於空言，而是成为我们、我们的子子孙孙、全人类的真况实境。（掌声）
How are we going to realize these ideals I think I shalltell you a little story which just came to my mind. As you know. China is avery old nation. We have a history of 5,000 years. When we were obliged toevacuate Hankow and go into the hinterland to carry on and continue ourresistance against aggression, the Generalissimo and I passed one of ourfronts, the Changsha front. One day we went into the Heng-yang Mountains, wherethere are traces of a famous pavilion called“Rub-the-mirror”pavilion, which wasbuilt over 2,000 years ago. It will perhaps interest you to hear the story ofthat pavilion.
我们要如何实现这些理想我想，我可以告诉各λ一个我刚想到的小故事。各λ知道，中国是一个非常古老的国家。我们有五千年历史。我们被迫从汉口撤退，转入大後方继续抵抗侵略的时候，蒋委员长和我经过一处前线，就在长沙。有一天，我们上衡山，山上有一处有名的遗迹，叫「磨镜台」，是两千多年前的古蹟。诸λ或许有兴趣听听这古蹟的故事。
Two thousand years ago near that spot was an old Buddhisttemple. One of the young monks went there, and all day long he sat crosslegged,with his hands clasped before him in an attitude of prayer, andmurmured“Amita-Buddha! Amita-Buddha! Amita-Buddha!” He murmured and chanted dayafter day, because he hoped that he would acquire grace.
两千年前，台址近旁有一座古老的佛寺。一名年轻和尚来此修行，他整天盘腿坐禅，双手合十，口中喃喃念着「阿弥陀佛! 阿弥陀佛! 阿弥陀佛! 」他唱念佛号，日复一日，因为他希望成佛。
The Father Prior of that temple took a piece of brick andrubbed it against a stone hour after hour, day after day, and week after week.The little acolyte, being very young, sometimes cast his eyes around to seewhat the old Father Prior was doing. The old Father Prior just kept on his workof rubbing the brick against the stone. So one day the young acolyte saidtohim.“Father Prior, what are you doing day after day rubbing this brick on thestone”The Father Prior replied, “I am trying to make a mirror out of thisbrick.”The young acolyte said,“But it is impossible to make a mirror out of abrick, Father Prior.”“Yes,”said the Father Prior,“and it is just as impossiblefor you yo acquire grace by doing nothing except murmur 'Amita-Buddha' all daylong, day in and day out.” (Applause.)
寺里的住持於是也跟着拿一块砖去磨一块石头，时时刻刻的磨，一天又一天的磨，一周又一周的磨。小和尚有时抬眼瞧瞧老和尚在做什麽。住持只是一个劲儿拿砖磨石。终於有一天，小和尚对住持说，「大师，您ÿ天拿这块砖磨石头，到底为什麽呢」住持答道：「我要用这块砖做镜子。」小和尚说：「可砖块是做不成镜子的呀，大师。」「û错，」住持说，「就像你成天光念阿弥陀佛，是成不了佛的。」(掌声)
So, my friends, I feel that it is necessary for us notonly to have ideals and to proclaim that we have them, it is necessary that weact to implement them. And so to you, gentlemen of the Senate, and to youladies and gentlemen in the galleries, I say that without the active helpof all of us our leader cannot implement these ideals. It is up to you and tome to take to heart the lesson of “Rub-the-mirror” pavilion.
因此，朋友们，我觉得，我们不但必须有理想，不但要昭告我们有理想，我们还必须以行动来落实理想。(掌声)所以，我要对诸λ参议员先生，以及旁听席上的女士先生说，û有我们大家的积极协助，我们的领袖无法落实这些理想。诸λ和我都必须紧记「磨镜台」的教训。
I thank you. (Greatapplause, Senators and their guests arising.)
我谢谢大家。(全场掌声，议员与来宾起立。)