新官上任三把火

新官上任三把火

Literally means:

the new officer set three fires

Actually means:

a new broom sweeps clean

It means that a newly appointed official tends to do several influential things to show his talents and to establish his prestige. It also means that a newly appointed official is full of drive and works with great zeal, but this drive or enthusiasm may not last long.

比喻新上任的官员总要先干几件有影响的事，以显示才能，树立威望。也比喻新官一开始总是劲头很足，但这种劲头难以持久。