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The difference between European and Chinese traditions of painting has been widely discussed. This study argues that this difference can be seen in the different use of copybooks: a source from which many interesting theories can be developed. The paper compares several medieval European books, including Villard de Honnecourt's Constructions: The Wheel of Fortune, with the Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting from China, and argues that, while the Europeans lay emphasis on geometric forms and the mathematical laws behind them, the Chinese learn painting in the manner of practicing calligraphy, paying more attention to the way of making lines and dynamic structures. The author argues that this divergence between the Chinese and Europeans in painting is based on their different views on the nature of creation.