引用是什么？
在 PHP 中引用意味着用不同的名字访问同一个变量内容。和C的指针相比，php的引用更像是 Unix 文件系统中的硬链接。
php官网中的例子：
来源：http://php.net/manual/zh/language.references.return.php
<?php
/* Imagine this is memory map
______________________________
|pointer | value | variable |
-----------------------------------
| 1 | NULL | --- |
| 2 | NULL | --- |
| 3 | NULL | --- |
| 4 | NULL | --- |
| 5 | NULL | --- |
------------------------------------
Create some variables */
$a=10;
$b=20;
$c=array ('one'=>array (1, 2, 3));
/* Look at memory
_______________________________
|pointer | value | variable's |
-----------------------------------
| 1 | 10 | $a |
| 2 | 20 | $b |
| 3 | 1 | $c['one'][0] |
| 4 | 2 | $c['one'][1] |
| 5 | 3 | $c['one'][2] |
------------------------------------
do */
$a=&$c['one'][2];
/* Look at memory
_______________________________
|pointer | value | variable's |
-----------------------------------
| 1 | NULL | --- | //value of $a is destroyed and pointer is free
| 2 | 20 | $b |
| 3 | 1 | $c['one'][0] |
| 4 | 2 | $c['one'][1] |
| 5 | 3 | $c['one'][2] ,$a | // $a is now here
------------------------------------
do */
$b=&$a; // or $b=&$c['one'][2]; result is same as both "$c['one'][2]" and "$a" is at same pointer.
/* Look at memory
_________________________________
|pointer | value | variable's |
--------------------------------------
| 1 | NULL | --- |
| 2 | NULL | --- | //value of $b is destroyed and pointer is free
| 3 | 1 | $c['one'][0] |
| 4 | 2 | $c['one'][1] |
| 5 | 3 |$c['one'][2] ,$a , $b | // $b is now here
---------------------------------------
next do */
unset($c['one'][2]);
/* Look at memory
_________________________________
|pointer | value | variable's |
--------------------------------------
| 1 | NULL | --- |
| 2 | NULL | --- |
| 3 | 1 | $c['one'][0] |
| 4 | 2 | $c['one'][1] |
| 5 | 3 | $a , $b | // $c['one'][2] is destroyed not in memory, not in array
---------------------------------------
next do */
$c['one'][2]=500; //now it is in array
/* Look at memory
_________________________________
|pointer | value | variable's |
--------------------------------------
| 1 | 500 | $c['one'][2] | //created it lands on any(next) free pointer in memory
| 2 | NULL | --- |
| 3 | 1 | $c['one'][0] |
| 4 | 2 | $c['one'][1] |
| 5 | 3 | $a , $b | //this pointer is in use
---------------------------------------
lets tray to return $c['one'][2] at old pointer an remove reference $a,$b. */
$c['one'][2]=&$a;
unset($a);
unset($b);
/* look at memory
_________________________________
|pointer | value | variable's |
--------------------------------------
| 1 | NULL | --- |
| 2 | NULL | --- |
| 3 | 1 | $c['one'][0] |
| 4 | 2 | $c['one'][1] |
| 5 | 3 | $c['one'][2] | //$c['one'][2] is returned, $a,$b is destroyed
--------------------------------------- ?>
I hope this helps.