A halogen-containing compound represented by a formula I and a use thereof as a ligand of an ethylene oligomerization catalyst composition, an ethylene oligomerization catalyst composition comprising the halogen-containing compound, and an ethylene oligomerization method, ethylene trimerization method and ethylene tetramerization method using the catalyst composition are provided. Serving as the ligand of the ethylene oligomerization catalyst, the halogen-containing polymer may effectively improve the catalytic performance of a catalyst system, especially by displaying a significantly improved catalytic performance in an ethylene oligomerization reaction. The maximum catalyst activity may exceed 4×108 g·mol(Cr)−1·h−1, and the total selectivity of 1-hexene and 1-octene exceeds 92 wt %. In a C6 product, the content of 1-hexene may reach about 97%, and in a C8 product, the content of 1-octene may reach more than 98%.