Ling is of medium height and slender build. He is usually seen in a yellow uniform. He appears to be the clown of the group and often has a joke ready. During training he slyly kicks the support from 'Ping's' rocket, resulting in her becoming charred and Chi-Fu's tent (and Chi-Fu) to be incinerated by the wayward rocket. When Mulan proves her worth, he is the first to intend to start over - unfortunately, this is during her bathing scene. He nearly discovers her secret, but Mushu bites him on the backside, causing a panic among the trio that allows Mulan to get away.
Contrasting Yao and Chien Po, he is something of a weakling physically, as he knocks himself out during a block breaking task in training (in his lyric of the montage song, he admits it's because he used to "cut gym" during the school hours of his childhood, and as of that moment, he felt like a fool for it). He does grow more capable, though, as, near the end, he is able to use the move to incapacitate one of the Elite Huns.
In the second film, he wears blue and falls in love with Princess Ting-Ting. His talent at telling jokes is able to win over the princess, though it wasn't easy as she hates her pig-like laugh that he claims is adorable when he first hears it. They even share the "Chopstick-nose-trick" (putting the chopsticks up one's nostrils, then wiggling the nose for a tacky mustache image), though Ling claims he invented that gag originally and calls it his signature.