Some numerals in English are equivalent translation while translated into Chinese. However, many numerals cannot be equivalent translation or not need to translate. It is in order to meet the Chinese idiomatic expression. See the following example for illustrating。

(1) equivalent translation：

a drop in the ocean

沧海一粟

within a stone’s throw

一箭之遥

kill two birds with one stone

一箭双雕

A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit.

吃一堑，长一智。

(2) nonequivalence translation：

at sixes and sevens

乱七八糟

on second thoughts

再三考虑

by ones and twos

两两地，零零落落地

Two heads are better than one.

三个臭皮匠胜过诸葛亮。

–Can you come down a little? –Sorry, it’s one price for all.

–你能便宜一点卖吗？–对不起，不二价.

He had one over the eight after be drank only half bottle of the wine。

他才喝了半瓶酒就醉得七歪八倒了。

(3) not need to translate

One man’s meat is another man’s poison.

人各有所好。

I’ll love you three score and ten.

我会一辈子爱你的。

Ten to one he has forgotten it．

很可能他已经忘了。

His mark in math is second to none in the class.

他的数学分数在班上是名列前茅的。

She is a second Lei Feng。

她是雷锋式的人物。

I always believe my sixth sense。

我总相信我的直觉。

He talks about you nine times out of ten when we have a chitchat.

每次我们闲聊他几乎都谈及你。

The parson officially pronounced that they became one。

牧师正式宣告他们成婚。

I used to study in France in the year one。

我早年曾在法国学习。

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