つの
角
　
を
た
矯
　
め
　
て
うし
牛
　
を
ころ
殺
　
す

expression, Godan verb

Idiomatic expression.
  1. to throw the baby out with the bath water, to strain at a gnat and swallow a camel, to obsess over insignificant details and miss the larger point, to straighten the horns and kill the cow.

Variations

Pronunciation Kanji Kana Is Common
つの
角
　
を
た
矯
　
め
　
て
うし
牛
　
を
ころ
殺
　
す
 角を矯めて牛を殺す つのをためてうしをころす

Contained Kanji Breakdown

angle, corner, square
カク　かど　すみ (2nd, N2)
knife, wrapping enclosure(勹) variant
upside-down box radical (no. 13)
キョウ　ケイ (Kentei 1)
number one, line, rod radical (no. 2)
コン　シ　ジョ
two, two radical (no. 7)
ニ　ふた　ふだ (1st, N5)
rectify, straighten, correct
キョウ　た.める (9th, N1)
dart, arrow
や　シ (2nd, N1)
person(人) variant
large, big
ダイ　おお-　た (1st, N5)
one, one radical (no.1)
イチ　いっ　ひと- (1st, N5)
person
ひと　ニン　ジン (1st, N5)
high, boasting
キョウ　たか.い　たかし (Kentei Pre-1, N1)
drink
の.む　トン (Kentei Pre-1)
early death, calamity
ヨウ　オウ　カ (Kentei 1)
katakana no radical (no. 4)
ヘツ　えい　よう (Kentei 1)
mouth
くち　コウ　ク (1st, N4)
desert, border prairie, the 1st form is radical 13
キョウ　ケイ　まきがまえ
upside-down box radical (no. 13)
キョウ　ケイ (Kentei 1)
cow
うし　ギュウ　ご (2nd, N4)
katakana no radical (no. 4)
ヘツ　えい　よう (Kentei 1)
dry, parch, ebb
ひ.る　カン　ほ.す (6th, N2)
kill, murder, butcher
ころ.す　サツ　あや.める (4th, N3)
kill, slaughter, murder
mow, cut grass, subdue
ガイ　ゲ　おさ.める (Kentei 1)
tree, wood
き　モク　こ- (1st, N5)
pike, windy-again radical (no. 79)
シュ　また　ほこ (Kentei 1)
table, table enclosure, table or windy radical (no. 16)
キ　きにょう (Kentei 1)
or again, furthermore, on the other hand
また　ユウ　やす (8th, N1)