**Down-Payment: 词汇释义与用法**

**中文释义：**

"Down-Payment" 在中文中通常被译为“首付”或“首付款”。它指的是在购买商品、房产或其他高价值物品时，预先支付的一部分款项，通常占总价的一定比例。这种支付方式通常用于分期付款或贷款交易中，以证明买家的购买诚意并降低卖家的风险。

**英文释义：**

A "down-payment" refers to an initial sum of money paid when purchasing a high-value item such as property, goods, or services, typically representing a percentage of the total cost. It is often required in installment or loan transactions to demonstrate the buyer's commitment and mitigate the seller's risk.

**用法例句：**

1. **购买房产：**

   - "I made a down-payment of 30% on the house, and I'll be paying off the rest through a mortgage." (我付了房子总价的30%作为首付，剩下的部分将通过抵押贷款支付。)

   - "She saved for years to gather enough for a substantial down-payment on her dream home." (她存了好几年的钱，才攒够了买梦想家园的首付。)

2. **购买汽车：**

   - "The car dealership offered a 0% financing deal with a $2,000 down-payment." (汽车经销商提供了一个零利率的贷款方案，需要2000美元的首付。)

   - "He decided to put a larger down-payment on the new car to reduce his monthly payments." (他决定在新车上付更大的首付，以减少每月的还款额。)

3. **商业交易：**

   - "The supplier required a 50% down-payment before commencing production of our order." (供应商要求在开始生产我们的订单之前先付50%的首付。)

   - "The client agreed to a 20% down-payment for the project, with the remaining balance payable upon completion." (客户同意先付项目总价的20%作为首付，余款在项目完成后支付。)

**同义词辨析：**

1. **Deposit** - 通常指在租赁或购买过程中为保留某物而支付的一笔金额，可退还。例如，租房时的押金。

   - "When renting the apartment, we had to pay a deposit equal to one month's rent." (租公寓时，我们需要付一个月租金的押金。)

2. **Initial Payment** - 这个词更广泛，可以指任何交易开始时支付的第一笔款项，不一定是总金额的一部分。

   - "The initial payment for the software subscription was due upon signing the contract." (签订软件订阅合同后立即需要支付首付款。)

3. **Advance Payment** - 指在提供服务或交付货物前预先支付的部分款项，有时可能不退款。

   - "We requested an advance payment of 50% before starting work on their custom website design." (在开始他们的定制网站设计工作之前，我们要求预付50%的款项。)

总结来说，"down-payment" 主要用于购买大件商品或房产时的初始付款，而 "deposit", "initial payment", 和 "advance payment" 可能有更广泛的含义和应用，但都涉及到交易开始时的预先支付。理解这些词汇的微妙差异可以帮助在不同语境下准确使用它们。