The invention belongs to the technical field of preparation of a carbon nano material, and particularly relates to a method for preparing a carbon dot having a high fluorescent quantum yield from citric acid and different nitrogen-containing molecules. The method comprises the following steps: weighing 1-10 mmol of solid citric acid, and dissolving in 10 ml of deionized water; weighing 1-10 mmol of ethylenediamine, ethylamine, propylamine, butanediamine, n-hexylamine, p-phenylene diamine or urea, adding into the citric acid solution, and uniformly stirring; transferring the solution into a hydrothermal or high-pressure microwave reaction kettle, reacting under hydrothermal or microwave conditions, and naturally cooling the reaction kettle to room temperature, thus obtaining a yellow or brown carbon dot water solution; and finally, purifying the carbon dot water solution, evaporating, and drying to obtain pure carbon dot solid powder. The carbon dot solution can send out bright blue fluorescence under the irradiation of a handheld ultraviolet lamp. The invention has wide application prospects in the fields of biological imaging, fluorescent printing and the like.