The invention discloses an active oscillation type direct-current circuit breaker and an application method thereof. The direct-current circuit breaker comprises a through-flow branch circuit, an oscillation branch circuit and an energy consumption branch circuit, wherein the through-flow branch circuit is connected with the oscillation branch circuit in parallel, the energy consumption branch circuit is connected with the through-flow branch circuit in parallel, or the energy consumption branch circuit is connected with internal elements of the oscillation branch circuit, and when a direct-current system does not fail, the oscillation branch circuit is locked, and the through-flow branch circuit conducts a direct-current load current. When a breaking command is received, the operation states of internal elements of the oscillation branch circuit and the through-flow branch circuit are controlled, so that the oscillation branch circuit generates oscillation current of which the amplitude is rapidly increased until the oscillation current and the short-circuit current are equal in amplitude and opposite in direction, and the through-flow branch circuit is reliably switched off; therefore, the problems of large reignition risk, obvious system oscillation, relatively high equipment cost and the like during small-current switching-off are solved, and large-scale popularization and application of the direct-current circuit breaker in a direct-current power transmission and distribution system can be realized.