We synthesized a new cyanide (CN ) chemosensor CX based on a nucleophilic addition reaction prompted by cyanide ion, which could be used for highly selective and sensitive fluorescence turn-on detection of cyanide in aqueous media. The CX showed selective fluorescence recognition for CN , the miscellaneous competitive anions (F , Cl , Br , I , AcO , 2 4 H PO -, 4 HSO -, 4 ClO -, S 2 , 3 4 PO -, 2 3COand SCN ) did not lead to any significant interference. The detection limit of the sensor towards CN − is 1.15×10 7 mol•L -1 . The sensor has been successfully applied to estimate the cyanide ion in seeds of cherries. Test strips based on CX were fabricated, which could be used as a convenient and efficient CN − test kit to detect CN − in aqueous solution for ''in-the-field'' measurement.