This invention provides a method for preparing well drilling thinner tara sulfonated tannin. The method comprises: mixing tara powder and water, leaching at 20-80 deg.C for 2-5 times (2-8 h each time), filtering, incorporating the filtrates, separating, concentrating, adding an alkali solution to adjust the pH value to 8-12, adding a sulfonating agent, sulfonating at 60-120 deg.C for 1-4 h, adding a complexant, complexing at 60-120 deg.C for 0.5-3 h to obtain a complex, concentrating, spray-drying, and packaging to obtain tara sulfonated tannin thinner. The tara sulfonated tannin thinner has such advantages as renewable raw material, stable output and low cost. The method has such advantages little discharge of wastewater, exhaust gas and waste residue, easy treatment, and little pollution. The tara sulfonated tannin thinner is an environmentally friendly chrome-free thinner, and is suitable for high-temperature (180-220 deg.C) and high-density oil wells with a viscosity reduction ratio higher than 90%.