The present invention discloses a preparation method of an Y2O3-W basic secondary emitter with ZrH2 addition, pertaining to the technical field of preparation of cathode materials. Based on a preparedtungsten powder uniformly doped with Y2O3 and 411 aluminate, an impregnated-type rare earth tungsten basic secondary cathode with an activator ZrH2 addition is prepared, and the thermal emission performance and the secondary emission performance of the cathode are tested. The thermal emission performance and the secondary emission performance of the rare earth tungsten basic secondary cathode with the activator ZrH2 addition are the most excellent, the zero field emission current density is 3.1-3.4 times higher than that of the rare earth tungsten basic secondary cathode without the ZrH2 addition, and the maximum secondary emission coefficient is 1.2 times higher than that of the rare earth tungsten basic secondary cathode without the ZrH2 addition. The Y2O3-W basic secondary emitter withthe activator ZrH2 addition prepared by the method has excellent thermal emission performance and secondary emission performance, and the emitter is expected to be applied in high power magnetron tubes.