In Disney’s 1998 animated film Mulan, Mulan uses the male name Ping while serving in the army.
Mulan adopts the identity of “Ping” after taking her elderly father Fa Zhou’s place in the conscription. She cuts her hair, takes his armor, and reports to the training camp as his son. The name helps her conceal her identity in a society where women are not accepted as soldiers.
The name is also part of a family joke: Mulan’s father explains that “Fa” is the family name, while “Ping” is the given name she is using. The film later reveals that Ping is actually Mulan when Captain Li Shang discovers her injury and learns the truth.
This detail is specific to Disney’s animated adaptation. The traditional Chinese ballad does not give Mulan the same elaborate military disguise or the same named male identity. The 2020 live-action film also uses the name Hua Jun rather than Ping, making the two Disney versions easy to confuse.