the X that can be Y is not the true X
Yet another instance of hackerdom's peculiar attraction to mystical
references -- a common humorous way of making exclusive statements
about a class of things. The template is from the Tao te Ching: "The
Tao which can be spoken of is not the true Tao." The implication is
often that the X is a mystery accessible only to the enlightened. See
the {trampoline} entry for an example, and compare {has the X nature}.
the X that can be Y is not the true X
Yet another instance of hackerdom's peculiar attraction to
mystical references - a common humorous way of making
exclusive statements about a class of things. The template is
from the "Tao te Ching": "The Tao which can be spoken of is
not the true Tao." The implication is often that the X is a
mystery accessible only to the enlightened. See the
{trampoline} entry for an example, and compare {has the X
nature}.
[{Jargon File}]