as a tree bends, so shall it grow
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
A person's early experiences shape their future development
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Trải nghiệm sớm ảnh hưởng đến sự phát triển tương lai
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Literally: a tree's bent shape is permanent
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “as a tree bends, so shall it grow” mean?
A person's early experiences shape their future development Literally: a tree's bent shape is permanent
Is “as a tree bends, so shall it grow” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.