The invention provides a method for synthesizing flaky nano zinc oxide by low-temperature control. The method comprises the following steps of: adopting quaternary microemulsion comprising non-ionic surfactant alkyl polyoxyethylene (10) ether, cyclohexane, octanol and a water phase, taking zinc acetate and sodium hydroxide as reactants, stirring intensely at room temperature on a magnetic stirrer after mixing each component comprising opposite-phase microemulsion, preparing the uniform and transparent opposite-phase microemulsion with stable property, then dripping the microemulsion of the sodium hydroxide into the microemulsion of the zinc acetate, reacting the microemulsion of the sodium hydroxide and the microemulsion of the zinc acetate in the area-restricted space of the microemulsion, washing by using acetone, distilled water and absolute ethyl alcohol after a hydrothermal reaction and centrifugal separation and preparing a flaky zinc oxide nano structure with uniform pattern and size. The invention has the technical scheme that reverse-micelle microemulsion with the functions of a template and area restriction is utilized to prepare the flaky zinc oxide nano structure, has the characteristics of simple production process, safe production procedure and little possibility of agglomeration of a product and can be widely used for the preparation of an inorganic functional material with a flaky structure.