The meaning of Su Shi's name: Su Shi's name "Shi" originally meant the handrail in front of the car, which means that he is unknown but helps people in danger and rescues the poor, and is indispensable.
The original meaning of "Zhe" in Su Che's name refers to the traces of vehicles, the traces of wheels running over. "Zuo Zhuan·Ten Years of Duke Zhuang" contains the sentence "Look down, see what's going on (look down and retreat)". Su Che's character "Ziyou" means to imitate and follow. To put it bluntly, it means following others. In terms of dealing with people, Su Che is much more reserved than his brother Su Shi.
Extended information
An essay about Su Shi and Su Che
"The Theory of Two Sons" was written by the poet Su Xun of the Song Dynasty for his two sons, Su Shi and Su Zhe. The reason for naming Su Zhe expresses the hope and warning for his son, and introduces the character of the second son and the origin of his name.
Original text: The wheel, the spokes, the cover, and the Zhen all have their duties as a chariot, but the Shi alone is like a person who does nothing. Although, when I went to Shi, I didn't see it as a complete car. Shi Hu, I am afraid that you are no more than Shi. All chariots in the world are based on the rut. When it comes to the merits of the chariot, the rut is not the same. Although the chariot, servant, and horse will die, the troubles are not as bad as those in the rut. Those who are in the rut are good at being in the middle of misfortunes and blessings. That's right, I know I can avoid it.
Translation: The wheels, spokes, roof cover, and crossbars around the carriage all have their responsibilities on the car, but the crossbars used as handrails seem to be of no use. Even so, if you take away the crossbar, then I don't see it being a complete car. Shi'er, what I'm worried about is that you won't hide your edge.
Every car in the world follows the same path, but when it comes to the merits of a car, the wheel marks are never involved. Even so, if the car is destroyed and the horse is killed, the wheel marks will not be blamed. This wheel mark can be between misfortune and blessing. Cheer, I know you can reassure me.
Creative background
In the sixth year of Qingli (1046), Su Xun went to Beijing to take the exam. Although Su Xun's talent and learning could make him an "Emperor's Master", he still failed due to the corruption of the court and the darkness of the officialdom. As a result, he lost confidence in the imperial examination and the court, and instead pinned his hopes on his two sons. After returning to his hometown the next year, Su Xun wrote a profound piece of "The Theory of Ming Erzi". At that time, Su Shi was eleven years old and Su Che was eight years old.
Ten years after Su Xun wrote "The Theory of Ming Erzi", he sent his two sons to Beijing to take the exam. After passing through Chengdu to say goodbye to Zhang Fangping, Zhang wrote six questions to test the two brothers, while he secretly peeped in the wall. After the two people got the question, they thought about it separately. When Zhe had questions, he pointedly asked Shi. Shi raised his pen and knocked down several cases, meaning "Guan Zi Zhu".
Referring to the second question, Su Shi checked the second question because there was no source and began to answer the question. After the exam, Zhang Fangping said to Su Xun: "Both sons are geniuses. The elder is smart and cute, but the younger one is cautious and his achievements may be exceeded." (from "Rui Guitang Xialu")
Baidu Encyclopedia - Ming Erzi Shuo