Etymology

yellow peril

Today it means: The alleged threat to Western nations by East Asians, especially Chinese or Japanese people, due to their vast population, non-Western cultures, or supposed antagonism to the West. Full definition →

French péril jaune
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The story

  1. French · derived frompéril jaune
  2. English todayyellow peril

Of yellow + peril, modeled on earlier French péril jaune. Compare yellow as a racist term for East Asian people. Attested in English from the 1890s. The French cognate is attested from the 1880s.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.