The invention provides a method for selectively hydrogenating an alpha, beta-unsaturated carbonyl compound. The method for selectively hydrogenating the alpha, beta-unsaturated carbonyl compound comprises the steps that first, a cobalt metal precursor and a carbene ligand are coordinated in a solution to obtain a cobalt complex, and the cobalt complex selectively enables the alpha, beta-unsaturated carbonyl compound to be reduced into a corresponding saturated carbonyl compound in a hydrogen atmosphere under the activation of an activator. The method for selectively hydrogenating the alpha, beta-unsaturated carbonyl compound has the main advantages that cobalt is used as a catalyst, and metal cobalt is cheap and easy to obtain relative to noble metal such as palladium, ruthenium, osmium, iridium and platinum, and the catalyst cost is greatly reduced; secondly, the carbene ligand used in the method has the advantages of simple structure, low price, strong coordination ability with cobalt atoms compared with a commonly used phosphine ligand; and finally, the addition of the activator can further significantly increase the activity of the cobalt catalyst. The hydrogenation reaction condition is mild, the reaction rate is high, substantially no carbonyl hydrogenation side reaction occurs, and the carbonyl compound can be obtained in a high yield.