In modern "western" furniture, frame and panel doors, table tops, side panels etc, are typically done with the "rails" butted into the "stiles" and may or may not have the end of the rail coped to match the profile in the stile. Raised panels with mitered rails and stiles are not very common. Chinese furniture makers on the other hand will make every effort - sometimes a significant and time consuming effort - to avoid having two pieces of wood simply butt into each other at 90 degrees. By mitering where two parts intersect at 90 degrees, they attain a more harmonius and pleasing flow of the grain around the frame.
