A novel fluorescent probe based on water-soluble dicyanodistyrylbenzene derivative (DCS-SE) has been prepared for berberine chloride (BBC) detection. The sensing performance and mechanism of DCS-SE were elucidated by photoluminescence spectra and scanning electron microscopy techniques. The experimental results reveal that DCS-SE possesses high selectivity, fast response and quantitative recognition towards BBC in aqueous solution. Moreover, due to the electrostatic interactions induced aggregation and the subsequent aggregation-induced emission effect, DCS-SE exhibits special turn-on detecting ability, with detection limit as low as 9.3 × 10−8 M. The strategy and principle outlined in this work may be applicable to design and prepare turn-on fluorescent sensors towards various antibiotic and biomolecules.