The “iron house” metaphor, articulated in Lu Xun’s Preface to Call to Arms (呐喊·自序), crystallizes a pivotal transformation in Chinese intellectuals’ metaphorical conceptualizations of the nation-state toward holistic ideological expression and political engagement since the late Qing era. The “iron house” as Lu Xun’s conceptualization of China originated with Wang Yao’s A Draft History of Modern Chinese Literature and Leo Ou-fan’s Voices from the Iron House. While sharing formal similarities with earlier architectural metaphors—such as Yan Fu’s “household” (室家 shijia), Li Hongzhang’s “crumbling house” (破屋 powu), and Liang Qichao’s “great mansion” (巨厦 jusha)— the “iron house” primarily stems from Lu Xun’s original meditations on enlightenment methodologies. This metaphor operates on two interdependent levels: it simultaneously symbolizes the predicament following failed cultural movements and transcends immediate historical contexts to embody a philosophical vision of China. These dual dimensions reflect Lu Xun’s profound engagement with the interrelationships between literature, political reality, and philosophical thought.