A field emission element includes at least one supporting wire and at least one carbon nanotube wire. The supporting wire and the carbon nanotube wire are twisted together. A method for manufacturing the described field emission element is also provided. The method includes the steps of: (a) providing at least one carbon nanotube wire and at least one supporting wire; (b) twisting the carbon nanotube wire and the supporting wire together to form a multi-strand structure by a spinning process; and (c) cutting the multi-strand structure according to a predetermined length to form a field emission element.