拍脑袋决策 To decide by patting one’s head.
拍胸脯表态 To state a position by patting one’s chest.
拍屁股走人 To pat one’s backside and leave.
On August 31, 2026, the website of Qiushi, the Party’s theoretical journal, republished an article from the Tianjin magazine Branch Life that criticized all three together: “The ‘three pats’ phenomenon means deciding by patting the head, stating a position by patting the chest, and leaving by patting the backside.”