To address the urgent need for high-performance self-lubricating ceramic materials for rolling bearings under high-speed operating conditions in the aerospace sector, this study employs Si3N4 as the matrix and incorporates nano lignin and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) to develop a self-lubricating composite ceramic system. This paper systematically studies the tribological characteristics and wear mechanisms of the composites. The results indicate that nano lignin undergoes pyrolysis during sintering, forming nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs). These structures are uniformly distributed at grain boundaries and participate in the formation of a lubricating film during the friction process, thereby significantly improving the material’s friction and wear properties. Under the special conditions (10 N, 1000 r/min), the composite material exhibited optimal tribological performance when the nano-lignin content was 2 wt.%, The friction coefficient decreased to 0.22 and a significant decrease in wear rate, demonstrating excellent friction- reducing and wear-resistant effects. In contrast, the introduction of GNPs failed to effectively improve friction performance, which may be attributed to their poor dispersion in the matrix and weak interfacial bonding. Mechanistic analysis indicates that during friction, Si N hydrolyzes to form SiO, which, together with the metal transfer layer and N-GQDs, forms a composite lubricating film; under shear stress, the N-GQDs undergo oriented alignment, reducing interfacial shear strength and achieving a synergistic effect of friction reduction and wear resistance. This study gives a new perspective into the application of biomass-derived lubricating phases in high- performance ceramics.