Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been investigated as field-emission sources owing to their high electrical conductivity and high aspect ratio. However, practical applications demand that the emission lifetime of CNTs be further improved. Since ZnO demonstrates impressive electrical and thermal conductivity, when coated on the surface of CNTs, it can allow the CNT field emitters to endure high electrical stress and high temperature. Moreover, ZnO nanostructures protect the CNT emitters from being bombarded by high-energy ions, which are accelerated by the high electric field. From the result of emission lifetime measurements at the emission current density of 100 mA/cm2, we found that the emission lifetime was increased by more than a factor of 2 when ZnO had been coated onto the CNT emitters. The observation registers as an important contribution to the practical application of CNT emitters with long-term emission stability, as well as with high emission currents. In this work, we elucidate the detailed mechanism of long-term stability that can be achieved by coating ZnO nanostructures on the surface of CNTs.