Why is Su Shi called Shi?
I have admired Su Dongpo for many years, but I have never thought about why he was called Su Shi. It wasn’t until I read the book Nian Lou Xueduan that it directly told me the standard answer.
Su Shi’s name was given by his father Su Xun. This is no problem, but why he is called Su Shi reflects Su Xun’s fatherly love and realm. Su Xun's "The Theory of Two Sons" wrote that the purpose of naming his two sons (Su Shi and Su Che) was that the wheels, roof, chassis, etc. of a car all played an indispensable role. Only Shi—— The crossbar in front of the car doesn't seem to be of much use, but if you remove it, it won't look like a complete car. Shi, I hope you will not become dispensable in people's eyes. Cars have to be on tracks (lanes) to move, but when it comes to the contribution of cars, no one mentions the lanes. However, even if the car overturns or the horse is injured and dies, the lanes will not be affected. There is no great disaster for those who do not have great blessings. Zhe, I wish you a safe life. Su Xun is most famous for two things in history. One is that he worked hard in middle age and became a late bloomer, and the other is that he raised two good sons. Judging from the name, he is not only a person with innocent thoughts, but also a person with great wisdom. Su Che was smart when he was a child, but his father was afraid that he would suffer a loss in society if he showed too much talent, so he reminded him to lower his profile. Su Shi has a more profound and reserved nature. He is afraid that he will be too "pretentious" (not showing off), so he hopes that he will be aggressive.
Extra: Why is Su Dongpo called Su Dongpo? I already knew this. In the early years of Yuanfeng, Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, Su Shi was falsely accused of writing poems to slander the emperor. He was demoted to Huangzhou and his life was in trouble. My friend Ma Zhengqing applied to the magistrate to hand over a hillside outside the east gate of Huangzhou to Su Shi for cultivation. Su Shi wanted to give himself a name, so he might as well call him Su Dongpo. Later, many of his works also used the name "Dongpo", such as "Dongpo Collection", "Dongpo Zhilin", etc.