How do entrepreneurs identify valuable entrepreneurial opportunities？ Self-compassion ability and empathy ability， as two key aspects of entrepreneurs’ emotional abilities， are considered crucial factors that influence their psychological states and behavioral performances. Based on the theory of emotion as social information， it made an empirical test using 279 questionnaire data， and explored how entrepreneurs’ emotional abilities （self-compassion ability and empathy ability） exert an influence on entrepreneurial opportunity identification. The results reveal that both entrepreneurs’ self-compassion ability and empathy ability positively influence entrepreneurial opportunities identification through the mediating role of entrepreneurial alertness， with empathy ability being more effective in promoting opportunity identification than self-compassion ability. Perceived barrier strengthens the relationships between self-compassion ability/empathy abilities and entrepreneurial alertness， while competitive intensity weakens these relationships. It reveals the internal mechanism through which emotional abilities influence entrepreneurial opportunity identification， broadens the important role of emotional abilities in entrepreneurial opportunity identification， and provides practical inspiration for entrepreneurs on how to leverage their emotional abilities to facilitate entrepreneurial opportunity identification.