成语的对等翻译是从三个方面体现出来的，即：
a)比喻意义
b)感情色彩
c)比喻形式
在对等上，比喻意义最为重要，其次是感情色彩，再者是比喻形式。翻译时尽可能再现比喻意义和感情色彩，同时兼顾比喻形式，若不能兼顾则要大胆舍去形式。
具体的例子见教程p45。
插科打诨： gag，make impromptu comic gestures and remarks
畅所欲言： say one’s say
称心如意： to one’s heart’s content, satisfactory
了如指掌： have sth. at one’s finger-tips,
know as one know his ten fingers;
know as well as a beggar knows his bag,
know sth. like the palm of one's hand.
混水摸鱼： fish in troubled waters.
成千上万： thousands upon thousands, many thousands
水深火热： live in great misery，an abyss of suffering，
extreme misery
嗤之以鼻： give a snort of contempt， sniff
皮包骨头：skinny
一触即发：on the verge of breaking out，
may be triggered at any moment
imminent
explosive
一生一世： life lifetime，all one's life
from the cradle to the grave
in all one's born days
一语道破：hit the mark with a single comment
充耳不闻：
出人头地：stand out, a cut above others
吹毛求疵：nitpick; find fault， find a quarrel in straw， carp cavil， criticize
破釜沉舟：burn one's boats， burn one's bridge
大惊小怪：make a fuss; be unnecessarily startled;
get surprised at sth. perfectly normal
大海捞针：fish for a needle in the ocean; look for a needle in a haystack
颠倒黑白：call white black， swear black is white，call black white and white black; reversal of black and white
confound black and white;
stand facts on their heads
得意忘形：bloat， get dizzy with success
攀龙附凤：play up to people of power and influence;
put oneself under the patronage of a bigwig
大发雷霆：be furious， fly into a rage， be torn by rage
骑虎难下：be in for it， have a wolf by the ears
视而不见：ignore; look but do not see