#include <boost/phoenix/phoenix.hpp> struct Foo { const int& bar() const { return i; } int i; }; int main() { Foo f; const int& ir = boost::phoenix::bind(&Foo::bar, f)(); } The above fails to compile. linux g++492 -std=c++11 -c 1.cpp When bar() has a single int arg for e.g., boost::phoenix::bind(&Foo::bar, f, 5)(); succeeds. The error: In file included from /usr/include/boost/phoenix/bind/bind_member_variable.hpp:13:0, from /usr/include/boost/phoenix/bind.hpp:17, from /usr/include/boost/phoenix/phoenix.hpp:17, from 1.cpp:1: /usr/include/boost/phoenix/bind/detail/member_variable.hpp: In instantiation of ‘struct boost::phoenix::detail::member_variable<const int&() const, const int& (Foo::*)() const>’: /usr/include/boost/proto/make_expr.hpp:77:16: required from ‘struct boost::proto::detail::protoify<boost::phoenix::detail::member_variable<const int&() const, const int& (Foo::*)() const>, boost::proto::domainns_::basic_default_domain>’ /usr/include/boost/proto/detail/preprocessed/make_expr_.hpp:70:9: required from ‘struct boost::proto::detail::make_expr_<boost::phoenix::detail::tag::function_eval, boost::proto::domainns_::basic_default_domain, boost::phoenix::detail::member_variable<const int&() const, const int& (Foo::*)() const>, Foo, void, void, void, void, void, void, void, void, void>’ /usr/include/boost/proto/make_expr.hpp:185:13: required from ‘struct boost::proto::result_of::make_expr<boost::phoenix::detail::tag::function_eval, boost::proto::domainns_::basic_default_domain, boost::phoenix::detail::member_variable<const int&() const, const int& (Foo::*)() const>, Foo, void, void, void, void, void, void, void, void, void>’ /usr/include/boost/phoenix/core/preprocessed/expression_10.hpp:84:13: required from ‘struct boost::phoenix::expr_ext<boost::phoenix::actor, boost::phoenix::detail::tag::function_eval, boost::phoenix::detail::member_variable<const int&() const, const int& (Foo::*)() const>, Foo, void, void, void, void, void, void, void, void, void>’ /usr/include/boost/phoenix/core/preprocessed/expression_10.hpp:24:12: required from ‘struct boost::phoenix::expr<boost::phoenix::detail::tag::function_eval, boost::phoenix::detail::member_variable<const int&() const, const int& (Foo::*)() const>, Foo, void, void, void, void, void, void, void, void, void>’ /usr/include/boost/phoenix/core/detail/preprocessed/function_eval_10.hpp:7:561: required from ‘struct boost::phoenix::detail::expression::function_eval<boost::phoenix::detail::member_variable<const int&() const, const int& (Foo::*)() const>, Foo, void, void, void, void, void, void, void, void, void>’ /usr/include/boost/phoenix/bind/bind_member_variable.hpp:37:5: required by substitution of ‘template<class RT, class ClassT> const typename boost::phoenix::detail::expression::function_eval<boost::phoenix::detail::member_variable<RT, RT ClassT::*>, ClassT>::type boost::phoenix::bind(RT ClassT::*, ClassT&) [with RT = const int&() const; ClassT = Foo]’ 1.cpp:11:52: required from here /usr/include/boost/phoenix/bind/detail/member_variable.hpp:50:17: error: forming reference to qualified function type ‘const int&() const’ RT& operator()(Class& obj) const ^ /usr/include/boost/phoenix/bind/detail/member_variable.hpp:59:23: error: forming reference to qualified function type ‘const int&() const’ RT const& operator()(Class const& obj) const ^ /usr/include/boost/phoenix/bind/detail/member_variable.hpp:68:17: error: forming reference to qualified function type ‘const int&() const’ RT& operator()(Class* obj) const ^ /usr/include/boost/phoenix/bind/detail/member_variable.hpp:74:23: error: forming reference to qualified function type ‘const int&() const’ RT const& operator()(Class const* obj) const Rds,