The invention discloses a method for preparing (1R, 2S)-bedaquiline and (1S, 2R)-bedaquiline and belongs to the technical field of chemical synthesis. The method comprises the steps of subjecting (1R,2R)-bedaquiline and (1S, 2S)-bedaquiline to a Lewis acid action to form carbenium ions, then, subjecting the carbenium ions to action by OH<-> in an alkaline solution to form novel chiral tertiary alcohol, and then, carrying out resolution, thereby preparing (1R, 2S)-bedaquiline. According to the method, the number of reaction steps is small, the production efficiency is greatly increased, the (1R, 2S)-bedaquiline of relatively high yield is easy to obtain, and thus, the industrial production is facilitated; and meanwhile, the impurity residual is low, the purity of target products is high, and dangerous steps such as high-pressure hydrogenation are not required to be added, so that the entire production process is high in safety.