diff --git a/lib/comp.c b/lib/comp.c
index eb949db..4e27f1e 100644
--- a/lib/comp.c
+++ b/lib/comp.c
@@ -651,7 +651,8 @@ enum
 	COP_POST_WHILE_BODY,
 	COP_POST_WHILE_COND,
 
-	COP_UPDATE_BREAK
+	COP_UPDATE_BREAK,
+	COP_DO_NOTHING
 };
 
 /* ========================================================================= */
@@ -1364,7 +1365,8 @@ static int compile_cons_xlist_expression (hcl_t* hcl, hcl_oop_t obj)
 	 * if the name is another function call, i can't know if the 
 	 * function name will be valid at the compile time.
 	 */
-	HCL_ASSERT (hcl, HCL_IS_CONS_XLIST(hcl, obj));
+	HCL_ASSERT (hcl, HCL_IS_CONS_CONCODED(hcl, obj, HCL_CONCODE_XLIST) ||
+	                 HCL_IS_CONS_CONCODED(hcl, obj, HCL_CONCODE_EXPLIST));
 
 	car = HCL_CONS_CAR(obj);
 	if (HCL_IS_SYMBOL(hcl,car) && (syncode = HCL_OBJ_GET_FLAGS_SYNCODE(car)))
@@ -1435,7 +1437,8 @@ static int compile_cons_xlist_expression (hcl_t* hcl, hcl_oop_t obj)
 				return -1;
 		}
 	}
-	else if (HCL_IS_SYMBOL(hcl,car) || HCL_IS_CONS_XLIST(hcl,car) || ((hcl->option.trait & HCL_CLI_MODE) && HCL_IS_STRING(hcl, car)))
+	else if (HCL_IS_SYMBOL(hcl,car) || HCL_IS_CONS_CONCODED(hcl,car,HCL_CONCODE_XLIST) || 
+	         ((hcl->option.trait & HCL_CLI_MODE) && HCL_IS_STRING(hcl, car)))
 	{
 		/* normal function call 
 		 *  (<operator> <operand1> ...) */
@@ -1454,7 +1457,14 @@ static int compile_cons_xlist_expression (hcl_t* hcl, hcl_oop_t obj)
 		oldtop = GET_TOP_CFRAME_INDEX(hcl); 
 		HCL_ASSERT (hcl, oldtop >= 0);
 
-		SWITCH_TOP_CFRAME (hcl, COP_EMIT_CALL, HCL_SMOOI_TO_OOP(0));
+		if (HCL_IS_CONS_CONCODED(hcl,obj,HCL_CONCODE_EXPLIST))
+		{
+			SWITCH_TOP_CFRAME (hcl, COP_DO_NOTHING, hcl->_nil);
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			SWITCH_TOP_CFRAME (hcl, COP_EMIT_CALL, HCL_SMOOI_TO_OOP(0));
+		}
 
 		/* compile <operator> */
 		PUSH_CFRAME (hcl, COP_COMPILE_OBJECT, car);
@@ -1505,10 +1515,16 @@ static int compile_cons_xlist_expression (hcl_t* hcl, hcl_oop_t obj)
 		/* redundant cdr check is performed inside compile_object_list() */
 		PUSH_SUBCFRAME (hcl, COP_COMPILE_ARGUMENT_LIST, cdr);
 
-		/* patch the argument count in the operand field of the COP_EMIT_CALL frame */
-		cf = GET_CFRAME(hcl, oldtop);
-		HCL_ASSERT (hcl, cf->opcode == COP_EMIT_CALL);
-		cf->operand = HCL_SMOOI_TO_OOP(nargs);
+		if (HCL_IS_CONS_CONCODED(hcl,obj,HCL_CONCODE_EXPLIST))
+		{
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			/* patch the argument count in the operand field of the COP_EMIT_CALL frame */
+			cf = GET_CFRAME(hcl, oldtop);
+			HCL_ASSERT (hcl, cf->opcode == COP_EMIT_CALL);
+			cf->operand = HCL_SMOOI_TO_OOP(nargs);
+		}
 	}
 	else
 	{
@@ -1664,6 +1680,10 @@ static int compile_object (hcl_t* hcl)
 					if (compile_cons_dic_expression(hcl, cf->operand) <= -1) return -1;
 					break;
 
+				case HCL_CONCODE_EXPLIST:
+					if (compile_cons_xlist_expression (hcl, cf->operand) <= -1) return -1;
+					break;
+
 				/* TODO: QLIST? */
 				default:
 					if (compile_cons_xlist_expression (hcl, cf->operand) <= -1) return -1;
@@ -2531,7 +2551,7 @@ static HCL_INLINE int emit_pop_stacktop (hcl_t* hcl)
 	HCL_ASSERT (hcl, cf->opcode == COP_EMIT_POP_STACKTOP);
 	HCL_ASSERT (hcl, HCL_IS_NIL(hcl, cf->operand));
 
-	n = emit_byte_instruction (hcl, HCL_CODE_POP_STACKTOP);
+	n = emit_byte_instruction(hcl, HCL_CODE_POP_STACKTOP);
 
 	POP_CFRAME (hcl);
 	return n;
@@ -2546,7 +2566,7 @@ static HCL_INLINE int emit_return (hcl_t* hcl)
 	HCL_ASSERT (hcl, cf->opcode == COP_EMIT_RETURN);
 	HCL_ASSERT (hcl, HCL_IS_NIL(hcl, cf->operand));
 
-	n = emit_byte_instruction (hcl, HCL_CODE_RETURN_FROM_BLOCK);
+	n = emit_byte_instruction(hcl, HCL_CODE_RETURN_FROM_BLOCK);
 
 	POP_CFRAME (hcl);
 	return n;
@@ -2739,6 +2759,11 @@ int hcl_compile (hcl_t* hcl, hcl_oop_t obj)
 				if (update_break(hcl) <= -1) goto oops;
 				break;
 
+			case COP_DO_NOTHING:
+				/* do nothing but popping the current cframe */
+				POP_CFRAME (hcl); 
+				break;
+
 			default:
 				HCL_DEBUG1 (hcl, "Internal error - invalid compiler opcode %d\n", cf->opcode);
 				hcl_seterrbfmt (hcl, HCL_EINTERN, "invalid compiler opcode %d", cf->opcode);
diff --git a/lib/exec.c b/lib/exec.c
index 6bd5ad1..c3604a1 100644
--- a/lib/exec.c
+++ b/lib/exec.c
@@ -1135,7 +1135,17 @@ HCL_DEBUG1 (hcl, "NARG %d\n", (int)nargs);
 			{
 				hcl_oop_t ta = HCL_STACK_GETARG(hcl, nargs, i);
 /* TODO: check if an argument is a string or a symbol */
-				argv[++i] = hcl_dupootobchars(hcl, HCL_OBJ_GET_CHAR_SLOT(ta), HCL_OBJ_GET_SIZE(ta), HCL_NULL);
+				if (HCL_OOP_IS_SMOOI(ta))
+				{
+/* TODO: rewrite this part */
+					hcl_bch_t tmp[64];
+					snprintf (tmp, sizeof(tmp), "%ld", (long int)HCL_OOP_TO_SMOOI(ta));
+					argv[++i] = hcl_dupbchars(hcl, tmp, strlen(tmp));
+				}
+				else
+				{
+					argv[++i] = hcl_dupootobchars(hcl, HCL_OBJ_GET_CHAR_SLOT(ta), HCL_OBJ_GET_SIZE(ta), HCL_NULL);
+				}
 HCL_DEBUG2 (hcl, "ARG %d -> %hs\n", (int)i - 1, argv[i]);
 			}
 			argv[nargs + 1] = HCL_NULL;
diff --git a/lib/hcl.h b/lib/hcl.h
index f22d672..188e1e8 100644
--- a/lib/hcl.h
+++ b/lib/hcl.h
@@ -1421,10 +1421,12 @@ enum hcl_concode_t
 {
 	/* these can be set in the SYNCODE flags for cons cells */
 	HCL_CONCODE_XLIST = 0,  /* () - executable list */
-	HCL_CONCODE_ARRAY,      /* #() */
+	HCL_CONCODE_ARRAY,      /* [] */
 	HCL_CONCODE_BYTEARRAY,  /* #[] */
-	HCL_CONCODE_DIC,        /* #{} */
-	HCL_CONCODE_QLIST       /* [] - data list */
+	HCL_CONCODE_DIC,        /* {} */
+	HCL_CONCODE_QLIST,      /* #() - data list */
+
+	HCL_CONCODE_EXPLIST     /* expresssion list used in the cli mode */
 };
 typedef enum hcl_concode_t hcl_concode_t;
 
@@ -1436,7 +1438,7 @@ typedef enum hcl_concode_t hcl_concode_t;
 #define HCL_IS_CONTEXT(hcl,v) (HCL_OOP_IS_POINTER(v) && HCL_OBJ_GET_FLAGS_BRAND(v) == HCL_BRAND_CONTEXT)
 #define HCL_IS_PROCESS(hcl,v) (HCL_OOP_IS_POINTER(v) && HCL_OBJ_GET_FLAGS_BRAND(v) == HCL_BRAND_PROCESS)
 #define HCL_IS_CONS(hcl,v) (HCL_OOP_IS_POINTER(v) && HCL_OBJ_GET_FLAGS_BRAND(v) == HCL_BRAND_CONS)
-#define HCL_IS_CONS_XLIST(hcl,v) (HCL_IS_CONS(hcl,v) && HCL_OBJ_GET_FLAGS_SYNCODE(v) == HCL_CONCODE_XLIST)
+#define HCL_IS_CONS_CONCODED(hcl,v,concode) (HCL_IS_CONS(hcl,v) && HCL_OBJ_GET_FLAGS_SYNCODE(v) == (concode))
 #define HCL_IS_ARRAY(hcl,v) (HCL_OOP_IS_POINTER(v) && HCL_OBJ_GET_FLAGS_BRAND(v) == HCL_BRAND_ARRAY)
 #define HCL_IS_BYTEARRAY(hcl,v) (HCL_OOP_IS_POINTER(v) && HCL_OBJ_GET_FLAGS_BRAND(v) == HCL_BRAND_BYTE_ARRAY)
 #define HCL_IS_DIC(hcl,v) (HCL_OOP_IS_POINTER(v) && HCL_OBJ_GET_FLAGS_BRAND(v) == HCL_BRAND_DIC)
diff --git a/lib/print.c b/lib/print.c
index 8f21366..61b4444 100644
--- a/lib/print.c
+++ b/lib/print.c
@@ -204,11 +204,12 @@ static HCL_INLINE int outfmt_obj (hcl_t* hcl, hcl_bitmask_t mask, hcl_oop_t obj,
 
 	static const hcl_bch_t *opening_parens[][2] =
 	{
-		{ "(",  "(" },  /*HCL_CONCODE_XLIST */
-		{ "[",  "[" },  /*HCL_CONCODE_ARRAY */
-		{ "#[", "[" },  /*HCL_CONCODE_BYTEARRAY */
-		{ "{",  "{" },  /*HCL_CONCODE_DIC */
-		{ "#(", "[" }   /*HCL_CONCODE_QLIST */
+		{ "(",   "(" },  /*HCL_CONCODE_XLIST */
+		{ "[",   "[" },  /*HCL_CONCODE_ARRAY */
+		{ "#[",  "[" },  /*HCL_CONCODE_BYTEARRAY */
+		{ "{",   "{" },  /*HCL_CONCODE_DIC */
+		{ "#(",  "[" },  /*HCL_CONCODE_QLIST */
+		{ "@(",  "@(" }   /*HCL_CONCODE_EXPLIST */
 	};
 
 	static const hcl_bch_t *closing_parens[][2] =
@@ -217,7 +218,8 @@ static HCL_INLINE int outfmt_obj (hcl_t* hcl, hcl_bitmask_t mask, hcl_oop_t obj,
 		{ "]",  "]" },   /*HCL_CONCODE_ARRAY */
 		{ "]",  "]" },   /*HCL_CONCODE_BYTEARRAY */
 		{ "}",  "}" },   /*HCL_CONCODE_DIC */
-		{ ")",  "]" }    /*HCL_CONCODE_QLIST */
+		{ ")",  "]" },   /*HCL_CONCODE_QLIST */
+		{ ")",  ")" }    /*HCL_CONCODE_EXPLIST */
 	};
 
 	static const hcl_bch_t* breakers[][2] = 
diff --git a/lib/read.c b/lib/read.c
index 0e83bfd..3e772e3 100644
--- a/lib/read.c
+++ b/lib/read.c
@@ -2286,7 +2286,7 @@ HCL_DEBUG0 (hcl, "STARTING vritual list...\n");
 
 			case HCL_IOTOK_LPAREN: /* () */
 				flagv = 0;
-				LIST_FLAG_SET_CONCODE (flagv, HCL_CONCODE_XLIST);
+				LIST_FLAG_SET_CONCODE (flagv, HCL_CONCODE_EXPLIST);
 			/*start_list:*/
 				if (level >= HCL_TYPE_MAX(int))
 				{