HOW UNDERSTANDING, STANDARD, AND BANNER GREW FROM THE SAME ROOT
A reconstruction using the “Kharaa Tabikha” method (Sergey Bazarov)
INTRODUCTION
The English words understand (to comprehend) and understood (comprehended), together with the Russian “shtandart” (ceremonial banner) and “standard” (norm, benchmark), seem at first glance to have nothing in common. However, the Kharaa Tabikha method – fixing what is seen through the Buryat language – reveals their deep unity. All four originate from the same Buryat root “shatakha” (to sway, to flutter, to wave). To this root different auxiliary verbs were added: nadkhakha (to sway – intensifier), tudakha (to hit, to reach exactly), and tabikha (to stop, to fix, to establish).
Below we show how the same images (the swaying of a root, the fluttering of a banner, the stopping of motion) gave rise to the concepts of ongoing comprehension, its result, a symbol of authority, and an established norm.
1. UNDERSTAND – COMPREHENSION AS THE SWAYING OF THE ROOT
Buryat formula:
ündes shatakha nadkhakha
Component Meaning
ündes root, foundation, essence
shatakha to sway, to flutter, to wave
nadkhakha to sway (paired intensifier)
Literal translation: “The root sways, rocks, is embraced from all sides”.
Meaning: Understanding is an active process in which the mind “sways” the essence, just as a banner flutters in the wind. The traditional etymology (under + stand – “to stand under”) is static and mistaken; the Buryat language preserves a dynamic image.
2. UNDERSTOOD – COMPREHENDED AS A PRECISE HIT INTO THE ROOT
Buryat formula:
ündes tudakha (short: ündes tud)
Component Meaning
ündes root, essence
tudakha to hit, to reach exactly, to attain
Literal translation: “To hit the root”, “to strike the essence”.
Meaning: If understand describes the process of comprehension (the swaying), then understood is the completed result – a precise hit, like an arrow reaching its target. In English the irregular past tense understood preserves the memory of the Buryat verb tudakha (through the suffix -ood).
3. SHHTANDART – THE FLUTTERING BANNER OF THE CHIEF
Buryat formula:
shatakha nadkhakha darga tug
Component Meaning
shatakha nadkhakha to sway, to flutter (intensified)
darga chief, master, commander
tug banner, flag
Literal translation: “The fluttering banner of the chief”.
Meaning: A “shtandart” (ceremonial banner) is not just a flag but a symbol of the presence of authority. It flutters in the wind, sending a signal. The same verb shatakha appears as in understand, but now applied to a banner instead of a root.
Phonetic shift: shatakha nadkhakha darga tug → shtandart (with contraction).
4. STANDARD – WHEN THE CHIEF STOPS THE SWAYING
Buryat formula:
shatakha tabikha darga tug
Component Meaning
shatakha to sway, to flutter
tabikha to stop, to place, to fix, to establish
darga chief
tug banner
Literal translation: “The banner of the chief who stopped the swaying”.
Meaning: The chief (darga) orders the fluttering banner to be stopped (tabikha) in a certain position. This fixed position becomes a model, a benchmark, a norm – that is, a standard.
Phonetic shift: shatakha tabikha darga tug → shtandart → standard (with loss of the explicit “tug” and reinterpretation).
SUMMARY TABLE
Word Buryat formula Key mechanism Result
understand ündes shatakha nadkhakha swaying, rocking the root process of comprehension
understood ündes tudakha hitting the root completed comprehension
shhtandart shatakha nadkhakha darga tug fluttering banner symbol of authority
standard shatakha tabikha darga tug stopping the swaying established norm, benchmark
CONCLUSION
Four seemingly unrelated words are united by the Buryat root “shatakha” (to sway, to flutter). To it were added:
· nadkhakha – intensifies the dynamism (shtandart, understand);
· tudakha – adds the meaning of precise hitting (understood);
· tabikha – adds the meaning of stopping, fixing (standard).
Thus, understanding and a standard are born from the same archetype: motion (swaying) → stopping (fixing) → precise hitting. The Buryat language preserved these nuances, while English and Russian borrowed only separate rays, losing the original semantic network.
The Kharaa Tabikha method (fixing what is seen) allows us to restore this network and shows that the “Eurasia Code” is one and the same – from the steppe to royal courts, from a shaman’s banner to the modern quality standard.
Reconstruction by: Sergey Bazarov
Method: “Kharaa Tabikha”
Date: May 2026