The present disclosure provides a method for controlling a terminal device by using a headset wire connected to the terminal device. The method includes: recognizing a user's gesture based on a current detected in a specific region of the headset wire; acquiring control instruction corresponding to the user's gesture; and executing the control instruction. According to the present disclosure, when a current is detected in the specific region of the headset wire, a user's gesture is recognized based on the current, control instruction corresponding to the user's gesture is acquired, and the control instruction is executed to control the terminal. In the whole procedure, the user only needs to touch the specific region of the headset wire without using pressure button to produce current signal, thereby the operation of controlling the terminal device is convenient and fast.