Meiling Li exists only in the anime version of Cardcaptor Sakura, introduced in episode 19 as Syaoran's cousin and self-proclaimed fiancée. Growing up together in Hong Kong, both trained in martial arts under Wang Wei. The turning point in their relationship came when Meiling's pet bird escaped—Syaoran, unusually open for once, comforted her and then spent hours in the rain tracking it down. That act of kindness cemented her devotion to him, and she eventually decided they were engaged, though she made him a promise: if he ever fell for someone else, she'd step aside.
When Meiling travels to Tokyo ostensibly to help Syaoran capture the Clow Cards, she immediately clashes with Sakura. Over time, though, her dislike softens into grudging respect and eventually genuine friendship. By episode 43, when she returns to Hong Kong, the two are on good terms. But the real turning point comes in episode 60, when Meiling briefly shows up again and realizes Syaoran has fallen hard for Sakura—specifically because he's started calling her by her first name, something he only does for family and her. With tears streaming down her face, Meiling releases him from their engagement with a smile and keeps her promise. She spends that night at Tomoyo's place screaming and crying in private so Syaoran doesn't have to witness her pain. She makes one final appearance in the second movie alongside Syaoran, helping Tomoyo encourage Sakura to confess her own feelings.
Unlike her cousin, Meiling has zero magical abilities and fights purely on martial arts skill and sheer stubbornness. This actually becomes a liability most of the time—she nearly gets seriously hurt taking on The Fight card in episode 20 and needs Syaoran to bail her out. Realizing she's dragging him down stings hard, and she snaps at him about it. She does find her footing when they face The Twin card together, since their years of synchronized training actually lets them counter the card's coordinated attacks.
Meiling is voiced by Yukana Nogami in the original Japanese. The English dub Cardcaptors renames her Meilin Rae and rewrites her as a childhood friend rather than a cousin, with Nicole Oliver voicing the character. Julie Maddalena takes over the role in the English version of the second movie.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
