A novel complex [Tb(L)2(H2O)3·H2O] (where L=2-amino-4-chlorobenzoic acid) was synthesized and characterized by a series of analysis. The molecular formula of complex was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and thermogravimetric/differential thermogravimetric (TG-DTG) measurements. The optical properties of complex was measured by ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV) and fluorescence spectroscopy (FS). The results indicated that Tb3+ in the complex was coordinated by ligand, and the complex emitted bright yellow-green luminescence with main peak at 548.8 nm with excitation at 369.4 nm.