丁忧

然而，作为这项制度的规范对象，古代官员们对丁忧的态度却以唐末宋初为分界点，发生了了明显的转变。

However , the attitude of the officials in the ancient times , the subjects of this regulation , to this system underwent drastic change at the end of Tang Dynasty and beginning of Song Dynasty .

而狭义的丁忧实际上就是指古代官员的父母（包括嫡亲父母与继父母）、祖父母丧亡后，官员必须离职回籍、服丧守制的一种制度。

While in the narrow sense ," dingyou " actually refers to that in ancient times , when the parents ( including step parents ) and grandparents of an official die , the official has to resign and return to their hometown to do the mourning .

徐光启生于农业发达的江苏松江地区，他一生热爱农业，在为父亲丁忧的三年间，在家乡进行了较大规模的农业耕种试验，后又几次赴天津进行农业试验，写出这部农业百科全书。

he was devoted to the agricultural development all his life.During the three-year period of mourning for his deceased father , he con-ducted in his hometown massive agricultural and ploughing experiments , and then went to Tianjing for similar experiments several times , the consequence of which was the completion of the agricultural encyclopedia .