  The phenomenon of the dark energy transition between the quintessence regime
($w > -1$) and the phantom regime ($w < -1$), also known as the cosmological
constant boundary crossing, is analyzed in terms of the dark energy equation of
state. It is found that the dark energy equation of state in the dark energy
models which exhibit the transition is {\em implicitly} defined. The
generalizations of the the models explicitly constructed to exhibit the
transition are studied to gain insight into the mechanism of the transition. It
is found that the cancellation of the terms corresponding to the cosmological
constant boundary makes the transition possible.
