yellow peril

Meanings

1. 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.
2. East Asian nations or peoples, conceived as threatening.

1. Alternative letter-case form of yellow peril.

Etymology

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.