A water-soluble fluorescent Zn 2+ sensor, 1,10-phenanthroline bridged bis(β-cyclodextrin) (1), was synthesized by "click chemistry", and its fluorescence sensing behavior toward Zn 2+ against various metal ions was investigated under physiological conditions. Significantly, 1 showed high selectivity and sensitivity toward Zn 2+ with a limit of detection (LOD) down to 10 −7 M. Moreover, the spectrophotometric studies demonstrated that after complexation with 1-admantanecarboxylic acid sodium salt (AdCA), the 1/AdCA complex gave much stronger binding affinity and lower LOD value toward Zn 2+ through a cyclodextrin/ substrate/Zn 2+ triple recognition mode. The fluorescence stopped-flow experiments also indicated that the association rate of complex 1/AdCA to Zn 2+ was much faster than compound 1 to the same ion. Furthermore, the fluorescence intensity of 1 and 1/AdCA was greatly enhanced after binding Zn 2+ in living cells, and thus 1 and complex 1/AdCA could be considered as a biosensor for Zn 2+ at the cellular level. † Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental methods, synthetic routes and characterization of compounds 1 and 2, Job plots of 1/Zn 2+ and 1/AdCA/Zn 2+ systems, the fluorescence changes (ΔF/F 0 ) of 1 in the presence of different metal cations, as well as 2D NOESY spectra of 1/AdCA/Zn 2+ system.