Listen to this article蔡顺的故事也被选用在《二十四孝》中，不过有两点很有意思：一，我们会发觉，其中“啮指心痛”的细节和《二十四孝》中的曾子叙述是一个模式。这说明孝子的行为的背后潜伏着一种约定俗成的行为模式的表述，因此会出现重复的情况。二，《二十四孝》的作者为了避免重复，曾子用了“啮指心痛”的内容，而写蔡顺则绕过了这一历史故事，用“拾椹供亲”的故事，而在《后汉书》中没有这一记载。三是，蔡顺怕死后的母亲害怕打雷，因此常在雷雨天绕墓哭泣。这一情节，与《二十四孝》的孝子王裒《闻雷泣墓》又有类似了。虽然今人去读这些历史上的孝子孝行，会产生种种想法，或不可理解，或理解不了，或厌其做作，或恶其封建，或恨其落后，但是往深处的内核思考一下，不就是尽其尊亲、养亲、孝亲之心吗？难道古今人心就不能沟通吗？
《二十四孝·蔡顺拾葚供亲》 郭居敬
汉蔡顺，少孤，事母至孝。遭王莽乱，岁荒，不给，拾桑葚，以异器盛之。赤眉贼见而问曰：“何异乎？”。顺曰：“黑者奉母，赤者自食。”贼悯其孝，以白米二斗、牛蹄一只与之。
诗曰：
黑葚奉萱闱，啼饥泪满衣。
赤眉知孝顺，牛米赠君归。
Cai Shun Gathered Mulberries for His Mother
Cai Shun of the Han Dynasty, whose father died when he was a little boy, was extremely dutiful to his mother. There was a severe famine during the reign of Emperor Wang Mang of the Xin Dynasty, and supplies were far insufficient. So Cai Shun had to go and pick mulberries for food. The mulberries were classified and put in different containers. A red-browed hooligan saw it and asked Cai Shun, “Why do you put the mulberries in different containers?” Shun replied, “The black ones are for my mother, while the red ones are for myself.” The hooligan showed sympathy for Cai Shun’s filial piety and gave him two dou’s (1 dou=2 decalitres) of rice and one cow hoof.
