枝えだを矯ためる

expression, ichidan verb

straighten a branch

Literal action of bending a tree branch back into a straight shape. Often used metaphorically to mean correcting something that has gone awry, similar to the proverb 矯めるなら若木のうち.

• 庭にわ師しが曲まがった枝えだを矯ためている。

  The gardener is straightening a bent branch.

• 悪わるい習しゅう慣かんは早はやいうちに枝えだを矯ためるように直なおすべきだ。

  Bad habits should be corrected early, like straightening a branch while it's still young.