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According to the Japanese dictionary, it means "sink or swim", "do or die", or
"high stakes", but I can't figure out the etymology.

The literal meaning appears to be "one or eight". So does it literally mean
"the odds are 1 to 8"?
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2014-05-22T21:35:08.947
16096
2014-05-22T22:23:37.737
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question
numbers phrases
Where does the phrase Ichikabachika (一か八か) come from?
Shogakukan's _Kokugo Dai Jiten Dictionary_ states:

> カルタ賭博から出た語  
>  A term from card gambling

The entry also gives 一{いち}か六{ろく}か as a synonym. This version may be more
obviously related to dice gambling, but as mentioned in the discussion at
<http://gogen-allguide.com/i/ichikabachika.html>, the 一 and 八 (or 六) here may
not directly indicate the numbers, and might instead be slang or jargon for
[odds or evens](https://www.google.com/search?q=gambling+%22odds+or+evens%22).
Shogakukan's definition of "choosing one of two choices" seems to back this
up, and the additional definition of "leaving one's luck to fate and bravely
doing something" and additional synonym of 伸{の}るか反{そ}るか suggests a kind of
"all or nothing" implication.

So ultimately, this doesn't have to do with "one to eight odds", and instead
一か八か indicates a 50-50 all-or-nothing gamble.
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2014-05-22T22:23:37.737
16097
2014-05-22T22:23:37.737
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answer