The idiom "show authority" originally meant that when an official first took office, he dealt with his subordinates strictly to show his prestige. Later, it generally refers to attacking or intimidating the opponent from the beginning in order to show his power.

Idiom allusions:

When Ban Gu was writing a biography for his ancestors, he described the scene when his great-uncle Ban Bo came to Dingxiang to serve as the prefect. Banbo was from the Western Han Dynasty and came from a distinguished family. He was the son of Ban Kuang, the captain of the Zuo Cao Yue Cavalry School. He studied under the master Sikong Dan when he was young. He often visited the palace when he was young and was highly trusted by the emperor. During the reign of Emperor Ping of the Han Dynasty, he was sent as envoys to the Xiongnu several times and made outstanding achievements.

At that time, the Shi and Li families in Dingxiang rebelled against the imperial court and hunted down local officials, causing panic in the Dingxiang area. Banbo was preparing to go on a mission to the Huns in the north. When he heard about this, he took the initiative to ask the emperor to go to Dingxiang to be the governor.

The wealthy gentry in Dingxiang heard that a young and energetic new governor had arrived, and thought that when he took office, he must act vigorously and arrest and kill heavily to show his prestige. Therefore, they hide the guilty person and wait to see what happens.

Bamber first invited the local gentry and said to them respectfully: "All of you here are fathers, brothers and masters. Whatever happens in the future, we will need your full support. It is difficult for Banbo to govern alone." "Xiang, so I don't plan to stay here for too long. Dingxiang belongs to everyone here, and it's your business to manage it well. I'm just here to make friends with you." After that, Ban Bo said to the elder. Gifts for children and grandchildren.

From then on, Banbo really didn’t ask about Dingxiang’s affairs, and only focused on making friends all day long. As time went by, he made friends with many people and gradually learned where those who broke the law were hiding. So Banbo summoned the officials and captured them separately. Within ten days, the county was shaken. Dingxiang quickly restored order.

The wealthy gentry in Dingxiang was worried that Banbo would show authority to his subordinates when he first took office, so he restrained himself. Later, "getting off the bus to show authority" was used to refer to officials showing authority when they first took office. The ancients had the habit of dismounting and dismounting to indicate the arrival of officials, so "dismounting to show authority" was also called "dismounting to show authority" and was replaced by "dismounting to show authority". In addition, "Xia Mawei" is easy to pronounce and the meaning is simple and clear, so it has been widely circulated.