  We perform a global analysis of three-body charmless hadronic decays $B\to
VP_3\to P_1P_2P_3$ in the perturbative QCD (PQCD) approach, where $V$ denotes
an intermediate vector resonance, and $P_i$, $i=1,2,3$, denote final-state
pseudoscalar mesons. Fitting the PQCD factorization formulas at leading order
in the strong coupling $\alpha_s$ to measured branching ratios and direct $CP$
asymmetries, we determine the Gegenbauer moments in the two-meson distribution
amplitudes (DAs) for the meson pairs $P_1P_2=\pi\pi, K\pi, KK$. The fitted
Gegenbauer moments are then employed to make predictions for those observables,
whose data are excluded in the fit due to larger experimental uncertainties. A
general consistency between our predictions and data is achieved, which hints
the validity of the PQCD formalism for the above three-body $B$ meson decays
and the universality of the nonperturbative two-meson DAs. The obtained
two-meson DAs can be applied to PQCD studies of other multi-body $B$ meson
decays involving the same meson pairs. We also attempt to determine the
dependence of the Gegenbauer moments on the meson-pair invariant mass, and
demonstrate that this determination is promising, when data become more
precise.
