Variable of reference type..terminology problem

Having following code:

 class X
    {
      public void Y(){}
    }


    X _x=new X();
    _x.Y();  //should I say Y is method of _x variable? It is easy but actually the variable contains just reference to object that has this method

   X newX=x;   //here I assign the value of variable x to variable newX. The value 开发者_StackOverflowis reference 

In my most pedantic mood, I would write:

Y is a parameterless instance method declared in type X. It is invoked on the object referred to by the value of _x.

(_x itself is neither the object nor the reference - it's the variable.)

Usually it's not much of a problem because classes and variables have descriptive names, so it's pretty clear what's what.

An example using an actual class:

builder is a variable containing a reference to an instance of the StringBuilder class:

StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();

The Append method is a method in the StringBuilder class, not a method in the builder variable. You are calling the method on the instance that builder is referring to:

builder.Append("asdf");

Y is a pubilc instance method on the class X being invoked on the instance of the class X referred to by _x.

As an aside, an invocation like this is actually compiled as something like

call X::Y(_x)

This is because every instance-level method has an implicit first parameter that is a reference to the object that the method is being invoked on (this is how this refers to the right object).