two bows, two claps, and a third bow
Standard Shinto worship procedure at a shrine: bow twice, clap twice, then bow once more. Often used as a set phrase explaining proper shrine etiquette.
The basic way to worship at a shrine is two bows, two claps, and a third bow.
初詣では、二礼二拍一礼の作法でお参りしました。
At the first shrine visit of the new year, I paid my respects with the two-bows-two-claps-one-bow ritual.
参拝 is the general act of visiting a shrine or temple to worship, while 二礼二拍一礼 specifies the exact sequence of bows and claps.
Compound of 二礼 (two bows), 二拍 (two claps), and 一礼 (one bow), describing the standard Shinto worship sequence.